People are just realizing two huge Wi-Fi mistakes put their bank and private information at risk – how to avoid them
A TECH expert has revealed two common Wi-Fi mistakes that risk your data and your bank account.
Both mistakes are easy to avoid and take mere seconds to fix.
Monserrat Cancino, a writer at Tech Detective revealed the Wi-Fi dangers to Yahoo.
The first mistake on his list is using suspicious public Wi-Fi networks.
He told the outlet: “Doing this is may put your data at risk.”
Cybercriminals have been known to set up fake wifi hotspots in public spaces with names similar to that of an official network.
You may spot this in an airport, cafe, or another spot where there is legitimate public Wi-Fi that can be taken advantage of.
Victims can unwittingly give hackers access to all the bank details they have stored on their devices.
Even the FBI has warned to be wary of public Wi-Fi.
“Preventing internet-enabled crimes and cyber intrusions requires each of us to be aware and on guard,” the FBI wrote in a recent announcement.
“Be careful when connecting to a public Wi-Fi network and do not conduct any sensitive transactions, including purchases, when on a public network.”
Cancino told Yahoo: “If you must connect to a public Wi-Fi network because you ran out of mobile data, avoid accessing your bank accounts, email, and any other apps that may contain sensitive personal information (home address, credit card number, phone, etc.).”
He recommends setting up a good data plan so you don’t have to rely on public Wi-Fi.
The second mistake on the expert’s list is not updating your device.
Updates usually patch security issues and this can include important Wi-Fi-related updates.
Cancino told Yahoo: “Make sure the ‘Automatic Downloads’ feature is enabled on your device, this way you don’t need to manually install any updates.
“Bear in mind that this feature will only work if the low power mode is disabled and if you’re connected to a fast Internet connection.”