Public WiFi Security: What You Need to Know

In everyday life, public WiFi hotspots are not only a convenience, but an important and practical way to go online. Whether you are a student looking to download the curriculum during a lecture, an employee wanting to look up a document or a commuter watching the latest news, you are probably connected to a hotspot. Hotspots offer fast and free internet access – however, security often falls short.

Before we dive a little deeper into WiFi hotspot security, let’s have a look at different networks most Swiss universities offer. On a campus, you are likely to find three types of wireless networks, however naming depends on the institution. Usually, they are labelled “Public” or “Guest”, “Private” (or the name of the institution) and “eduroam”. In addition, some departments or events have dedicated networks, but since their ways of identification vary, we will focus on the three main types mentioned above.
To log in to a “Public” or “Guest” network, you normally connect via a landing page or use the VPN (Virtual Private Network) client provided by your university. In most cases, such networks provide restricted access to the internal university network and transmit data unencrypted. Therefore, many Swiss universities recommend only connecting to this network using the VPN client or choosing an encrypted network while others enforce the use of a VPN client. With a Swiss university login, you should also be able to connect to other universities’ WiFi using VPN. To download the client supported by your university and look up the correct settings, head to their IT services website – most institutions also provide a solution for your Android device or iPhone.
Institution and private networks offer a better encryption with direct logins, sometimes with an additional network password. They are implemented differently at every university, so make sure to look up how to properly connect.
Networks labelled “eduroam” can be found at most Swiss universities and should always work same way. They offer you the opportunity to connect to the internet by using your university login without having to download additional software. Many institutions recommend the use of this network while you are on campus, since it encrypts your network traffic.
Even though university hotspots provide decent protection, if used properly, you should take precautions – there is no such thing as absolute security.

Outside of universities, even more caution is advised. Whether you are travelling, commuting, having a break at your favorite coffee bar or stay at a hotel, you are likely to find a free WiFi hotspot. Before using it, make sure it’s trustworthy and if possible only connect to ones protected by a login, since they are more likely to offer decent encryption. Always confirm that you are using an official hotspot – if you are not sure, ask staff for the SSID (Name) to make sure it’s not a fake network. If a hotspot seems sketchy in any way, avoid it by all means. But even if a hotspot looks safe and is provided by an established company you should not neglect security. Data theft might not be that common in such networks but it can still occur.

When browsing the internet in public WiFi hotspots, there are a few common threats to be on the lookout for. We already discussed the possibility to connect to a fake network above, however, an undecrypted is not much safer: man-in-the-middle and sniffing attacks, where someone reads your unsecured data while it is being transferred are a typical threat. These can occur in any unencrypted network without you noticing it. Another issue is malware that you might accidentally download via a fake login page. However, most attacks focus directly on obtaining sensitive data. There are several effective ways of significantly reducing that risk, so that you are able to browse the internet more safely:

• Turn off file sharing: most operating systems like Windows or Mac OS have an option to turn off file sharing or directly ask you, whether you would like to add a network as a home network. The less access you grant devices on a public network, the safer you are.
• Always keep your anti-virus, firewall and OS up to date.
• Never use sensitive logins like e-banking or PayPal or enter any credit card information. Use your phone as a WiFi hotspot when doing so.
• If possible, use two-factor authentication and websites’ more secure “https://” URL. Avoid old protocols that transmit your passwords as plain text like POP or FTP without SSL. Luckily, these are not too common these days, but it is still a good idea to make sure you use IMAP in your e-mail client.
• To be on the safe side, always use a VPN connection to encrypt your data, even if you connect to a known network. The VPN client you get for free from your university comes in handy when using other public WiFi hotspots: if you establish a VPN connection, your data will be encrypted.
• If you want to avoid automatically logging in to known websites, you can use the private browsing option most browsers provide: you will transmit less passwords and need to enter each one consciously. But please keep in mind that private browsing itself does not encrypt your data.
• Automatically connecting to WiFi networks is a great feature of your laptop and while it’s quite safe to use in your home network (if it’s properly secured), try to avoid it in public hotspots. If you only make connections consciously and keep the list of known networks short you can greatly reduce security risks.
• Only log in to pages and services if you have to and all of the above is regarded. With a little bit of caution, you should not be at much risk.

WiFi hotspots are a great tool for your work, studies and free time, offering you with a fast connection to the internet. By being aware of common threats and using public hotspots responsibly, you can avoid most pitfalls and protect your private data.

Links to Pages Providing Further Information About University WiFi Networks (Selection):
University of Basel (German)
University of Berne
University of Fribourg
University of Geneva (French)
University of Lausanne (French)
EPFL Lausanne
University of Zurich 
ETH Zurich