Page 32 - How to be Cyber Safe + Savvy

CHAPTER 2: Connecting Devices With Confidence
WHY IT MATTERS HOW YOU CONNECT (CONTINUED)
SSID (which stands for Service Set Identifier), and the password are found on a sticker somewhere on the router itself. Break-ins are rare but possible, either through a hack of the router itself or someone copying the SSID and Network Key information from the sticker and then logging on.
What if I need to connect to the internet away from home and don't want to use up data?
It’s okay to use a public Wi-Fi network as long as it’s protected with a password, but don’t do any banking, shopping, or other activity that requires accessing personal data.
THE NITTY-GRITTY: Just as with your home router, the risk with password- protected Wi-Fi networks in public is a hack of the software inside a router. Router software attacks can take
many forms, but they all make data going through the router vulnerable to capture and exploitation. Especially appealing to hackers are routers in lo- cations with the most users. Besides the risk of someone watching over your shoulder, this vulnerability is why you should avoid conducting personal business over a public Wi-Fi network, even if it features password protection.
What about public Wi-Fi that doesn't ask for a password? Never use public Wi-Fi networks without any password protection. THE NITTY-GRITTY: These networks are basically public data fountains. You can assume that any traffic
going through an unsecured public Wi-Fi network is at risk. The National Security Agency, for example, warns, “Data sent over public Wi-Fi — espe- cially open public Wi-Fi that does not require a password to access — is vulnerable to theft or manipulation.” It goes on to use the word “malicious” three more times to describe the kinds of bad things that can happen on these networks. Avoid these net- works if at all possible by turning off your Wi-Fi connection and just using your phone’s cellular data connection to access online content.
32 CYBER SAFE + SAVVY