The summer season 2022 It is about to begin in the southern hemisphere and thousands of Argentines are already preparing their bags to go on vacation in January. Far from home, most travelers tend to connect their cell phones and computers to the first WiFi that are available to avoid consuming your mobile data.
The truth is that Public and open WiFi networks of hotels, beaches, airports and restaurants have great risks since they are not encrypted: anyone within the specified range can see the information that is sent through the internet connection.
“An attacker can be within range of the public network and, for example, operate a malicious twin Wi-Fi point with the same name that has a stronger signal to which it connects instead of the real one. Also, can trick by search into users to start redirecting their requests to fake pages or by using proxies“Explains Chester Wisniewski, an expert at the British security hardware and software company. Sophos.
And he adds: “As if this were not enough, a criminal is able to observe communications to intercept any unprotected data “.
WiFi: how to reduce risks when connecting to public networks
There are ways to make work harder for cybercriminals.
According to Sophos, no one should trust public WiFi networks, but they do exist alternatives to reduce risks. For example, from the firm they recommend the use of Tor, a private and secure browser that serves to block any cybercriminal who wants to access a computer.
“It can be a little slow from time to time, but if you have reason to believe that you can have advanced opponents playing with you, Tor is the best there is to defend against them,” Wisniewski clarifies.
On the other hand, Sophos recommends using a password manager; and choose long passwords longer than 18 characters.
Finally, in the case of using financial services from a cell phone, it is advisable to use the data plan and not open WiFi, as a criminal could access the bank account and steal the funds.
How to reduce mobile data consumption
Social networks are the apps that usually consume the most data.
The day always comes that Spending megabytes (and gigabytes) is getting out of hand and we end up paying the consequences: no data, terrible browsing speed or extra payment on our phone bill.
Data costs money. Entertainment, such as watching series on Netflix through our device, sending a WhatsApp message or consulting Twitter, Facebook or Instagram is what consumes the most mobile data. Despite the fact that more accessible unlimited data rates have been implemented, many users still have a limit that causes supply problems at the end of the month.
There are inexpensive alternatives for our smartphone to consume the least amount of mobile data possible. You just have to follow a few steps:
- Activate data saving: When the operating system detects that the limit has been exceeded, it stops using data or slows down. In this way, if you have a data rate of 5 GB per month and each extra mega goes beyond the standard price, you can set the data limit of 5 GB. The way to do it depends on the phone brand, but in all of them it is found in the Settings section.
- Set a consumption limit: Most Android and iPhone mobiles offer this option, which consists of setting a limit of megabytes or gigabytes so as not to exceed those allowed. The easiest thing is to enter the ‘Settings’, use the quick search engine and type ‘Data limit’ or something similar.
- Download documents and update apps with WiFi only: It is advisable to allow our smartphone to only download documents or photos and update apps when connected to a Wi-Fi network. In the case of Android, you will have to access Google Play> touch on your profile> Settings> Network preferences> Application download preference> Wi-Fi only. For these apps to be updated when they are connected to a Wi-Fi network, you will have to go to ‘Update automatic applications’ and put ‘Only for Wi-Fi’. In the case of iOS, to activate it, you must go to Settings> App Store> deactivate the Automatic Downloads option with data.
- Use Google Chrome in saving mode: If your internet browser is Google Chrome, you can activate the ‘Saving mode’. To activate it, you must go to the app, to the Settings section> Advanced settings> Activate Basic mode. In this way, the browser will reduce the use of gigs by up to 60%.
With information from La Vanguardia.
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