Travel Tip Tuesday: 5 Ways to Protect Yourself From In-flight Wi-Fi Data Leaks

Did you know that in-flight Wi-Fi can lead to data leaks? Here’s how you can protect yourself against this.

Photo: WiFi in the Air by Austin Distel on Unsplash

A recent Inmarsat survey shows that 81% of travelers would use in-flight Wi-Fi when available, and over 65% of 2020 air travelers did use it.

#1 Don’t log in to accounts with sensitive data

Connecting to public Wi-Fi, because hackers could pick up your details.

#2 Make sure the website you may use is Legit

Before entering a Social Security number or bank information for example, make sure the website or gateway has an HTTPS URL. The ‘s’ in the URL means it is a secure protocol and because of this, data is encrypted. You also should be cautious of websites asking for ridiculous amounts of personal information while using inflight Wi-Fi, because these could possibly be attempts at stealing data.

#3 Connect to the official airline or provider network

You definitely always want to connect to the Wi-Fi network offered on the flight. Networks can be designed to look similar in hopes of stealing data, so be sure it’s the correct one.

#4 Use a VPN

VPNs are some of the most reliable methods a traveler can use to protect information & devices while using inflight Wi-Fi. VPNs send traffic through an encrypted tunnel of sorts, making it very protected and as such, difficult to intercept. NordVPN is a great one that offers apps on smart devices that travelers use to connect to a public Wi-Fi network. They will provide encryption on the go, and users can browse without worry on public Wi-Fi.

Photo: Using devices at the airport by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

#5 Disable automatic connections

For travelers who public Wi-Fi regularly, devices might be set up to automatically connect to an open network. For this reason, professionals recommend disabling the automatic connection function on devices to keep data safe.

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