Advice Request Should you always use a VPN on public Wifi ?

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HarborFront

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If you are referring to this article


.......... you are safe.

However, it is better to be safer when surfing public wifi using a VPN through HTTPS sites. Read the below article to find that HTTPS sites using the older SSL encryption has weaknesses

 
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ng4ever

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Atlas147

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Since I already own a VPN I usually just turn it on to be safe. Even if I'm not doing any banking or accessing government websites, I'd still like to have the peace of mind that I'm behind a VPN which adds to my security.
 

jogs

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I have one question in mind for quite long, even if VPN is used is it safe if the router itself is compromised? Also, what happens if the provider of the WiFi service deliberately wants to steal info from the users?
 

HarborFront

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I have one question in mind for quite long, even if VPN is used is it safe if the router itself is compromised? Also, what happens if the provider of the WiFi service deliberately wants to steal info from the users?
You can find your answer for the 1st question here


Read below to see what a hacked router might do


Regarding the 2nd question.

You can't do anything if the VPN provider intends to snoop. This is pretty common if the VPN provider is suspicious of you doing something compromising its service.

Choosing a reputable VPN provider carefully is a good start.
 
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HarborFront

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I was actually asking about the WiFi provider not the VPN provider.
OK, sorry I missed that. This case is the ISP and those public WiFi Hotspot providers then.

If you have a solid VPN provider with strong encryption then the ISP can only know you are connecting to a VPN and the amount of data you upload/download. Other than that your data is safely encrypted and secured from prying eyes. This also applies to those public WiFi hotspot providers.

Read below



 
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Arequire

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The basic idea is you want to encrypt as much data as possible when using public WiFi. If you can't use a VPN there are few things I'd recommend doing:
DDG's extension/app includes their "Smarter Encryption", which is essentially a far more comprehensive version of HTTPS Everywhere. This will ensure you connect to encrypted versions of websites whenever possible.
  • If using Android: Use Chrome and turn on "Lite mode" (Third option from bottom in Chrome's settings)
This will proxy any HTTP traffic through Google's servers via an encrypted channel.
  • If using Windows: Install and use DNSCrypt. If using Android: Install and use Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 (Android/iOS) or Quad9's (Android) app
This will ensure your DNS traffic is encrypted.

With all that said, I still recommend using a system-wide VPN when connecting to public WiFi whenever possible.
 

Lenny_Fox

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When I am on travel, I use Kaspersky Secure Connect. 200MB free per (300 when you register) is sufficient to to online banking and booking.

To view Netflix over VPN you need an unlimited VPN plan. Only reason to use a VPN for me - when abroad - is to circumvent regional content restrictions. I am (maybe naive) also inclined to think what can go wrong when you are just surfing and do not enter sensitive data.
 

cliffspab

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When I am on travel, I use Kaspersky Secure Connect. 200MB free per (300 when you register) is sufficient to to online banking and booking.

To view Netflix over VPN you need an unlimited VPN plan. Only reason to use a VPN for me - when abroad - is to circumvent regional content restrictions. I am (maybe naive) also inclined to think what can go wrong when you are just surfing and do not enter sensitive data.

I've been researching the value of an always-on VPN too. And, to be honest, unless you're doing some very illegal stuff (more than just the odd torrent or a bit of pornhub) it seems a bit like, if you have a fast connection, owning a Ferrari but never using the top gears ie needlessly reducing your internet speed.

Https seems safe enough to me.
 

Wolfware10

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Aug 8, 2019
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Nah, I wouldn't worry about Neflix and public security. The only times that I really worry about things like public wifi security is when I'm working, and dealing with sensitive info. For now, if the coronavirus keeps spreading you won't be using a whole lot of public wifi. I know work from home, remotely, but we are still required to use a business VPN (Homepage | NordVPN Teams) for secure remote access. So it all depends what you are doing on the web and what you want to gain from it.
 

Lorthemar

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Mar 18, 2020
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I keep it almost always. Alongside with my adblocker. I don't do anything illegal but I don't want Facebook collecting data about me from every website I visit (pixels etc.). Though I'm not sure if a VPN+incognito mode prevents it. It's not too much about security but more about privacy and convenience.
 

HarborFront

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I keep it almost always. Alongside with my adblocker. I don't do anything illegal but I don't want Facebook collecting data about me from every website I visit (pixels etc.). Though I'm not sure if a VPN+incognito mode prevents it. It's not too much about security but more about privacy and convenience.

If you are using Firefox browser you can install Facebook Container

 
F

ForgottenSeer 85179

I keep it almost always. Alongside with my adblocker. I don't do anything illegal but I don't want Facebook collecting data about me from every website I visit (pixels etc.). Though I'm not sure if a VPN+incognito mode prevents it. It's not too much about security but more about privacy and convenience.
Just use uBlock origin or uMatrix and block Facebook and also 3th party cookies
 

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