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Is free public Wi-Fi safe?

Mostly, yes, and much safer than it was ten years ago. Almost every site you use is now encrypted. The remaining risks are fake hotspots, sloppy settings and the few things encryption does not hide. Here is what to do about each.

The six rules

  1. Confirm the network name with staff. "Free Airport WiFi" and "Free_Airport_WiFi" are not the same network. Fake hotspots are the easiest attack there is.
  2. Look for the padlock. Only enter passwords or card details on pages whose address starts with https. Your browser warns you if it does not.
  3. Turn off auto-join. Your phone should not connect to any open network it remembers without asking you.
  4. Keep your phone and laptop updated. Most real-world attacks on public Wi-Fi rely on old, unpatched software.
  5. Use mobile data for banking if you can. It is the simplest way to avoid the question entirely.
  6. Use a VPN for anything sensitive on a network you do not trust. It hides which sites you visit from the network owner and defeats most hotspot tricks. It is not magic and it does not make a fake site real.

What a VPN does and does not do

A VPN wraps all your traffic in an encrypted tunnel to the VPN company's server. The cafe, the airport and anyone on the same network see only that tunnel. That stops them reading unencrypted traffic, seeing which sites you visit, or redirecting you.

A VPN does not stop you typing your password into a phishing page, does not remove malware, and moves your trust from the network to the VPN company. Pick one with a published no-logs policy and an independent audit, and avoid free VPNs that pay for themselves by selling your data.

Guides coming soon

Sharing your own Wi-Fi with guests? Make a QR code so they can join without you reading out the password.