Chapter 3
Public Wi-Fi and VPNs: what they do and don’t do
What you'll get from this chapter: What a virtual private network (VPN) really protects, why it does not stop scams, and when public Wi-Fi is worth avoiding.
In this chapter
- Words in this chapter
- Your steps
A (VPN) is optional for most people. It does not stop or scams.
Most websites already use , the secure version of the web (look for the padlock in the address bar), which encrypts the page between your browser and the site. On café or airport Wi-Fi, that already stops a stranger on the same network from reading your password as it travels. A virtual private network adds a private tunnel from your device to a company’s server. It can hide which sites you visit from the café. It cannot tell a real bank page from a fake one, and it cannot stop you from typing your (the secret backup words for a cryptocurrency wallet) into the wrong place.
You do not need one for ordinary email, banking, or shopping, especially on your phone’s own cellular connection. If you still want one on a public network, pay a known provider and install it from that provider’s site or the official store. Free virtual private networks, and applications that only pretend to be one, often sell data or are themselves.
The real protection is in your passwords and sign-in methods. The next chapter shows the order to set them up.
Words in this chapter
- . A service that encrypts the connection between your device and a server the company runs, which hides that traffic from people on the same public wireless network. It does not stop you from typing a password into a fake site. A kill switch is a setting on that service that blocks internet access if the secure tunnel drops, so your traffic does not leak in the open.
- . A wireless network you do not control, such as a café, hotel, or airport. Most sites already encrypt the page. A virtual private network is optional and does not stop a scam.
- . The secure version of the web, shown by a padlock in the address bar. It scrambles the connection so others on the network cannot read it, but it does not prove the site is honest.