It’s sad to say the average computer user doesn’t heed precautions when using a computer in their favorite coffee shop.

No, I’m not talking about making sure passers-by don’t spill coffee on their laptops. I’m talking about basic security measures required to protect their privacy while surfing online via a public wireless connection found in your typical wifi café. Whether the wifi café charges for use or gives away Internet access for free, your computer is subject to a number of threats that can leave you and your private information merciless to hackers and thieves.

“What sorts of threats are out there?” you may ask. Well, let’s take a look.

The Network Barista

Let’s face it. Your local coffee shop is obviously in business to sell coffee, not network routers.

The manager’s duty is to hire and train expert baristas, not supervise network admins. Adding wireless Internet connectivity is just a perk to get people to stay and drink more coffee instead of going home or moving on to a café that does have Internet. Although these baristas have to juggle between preparing coffee and playing network admin, their primary duties remain bean-oriented.

So don’t expect network hardware, firmware and other software configurations to be up to scratch. Although the average network admin would know how to keep his or her network fully protected with the latest updates and patches, the local wifi café may not. Your computer is more vulnerable to attack when the local area network you are connected to isn’t fully secure.

Surfing Bareback

Going “bareback” on the Internet can be a dangerous choice to make. When surfing online at an Internet café, it is quite common for there to be no password required to join the wireless network. This is typically the case for small, locally-owned shops that make no money off the Internet connection itself but simply offer it as a convenience to their customers.

Wireless networks without a password suffer from something called “piggybacking,” which is the ability for anyone within range of the wireless access point to leech off the Internet connection for free. This free ride is abusive, causing bandwidth shortages, possible service violations and increased chance of malicious attack by hackers.

With an open, unsecured wireless network, hackers may be able to monitor your online activity in attempts to steal your passwords and other sensitive information. They may even be able to access your files, inject spyware into your operating system or even gain full control of your computer.

Consider also the possibility of being duped into using the wrong access point. When a wireless network is left open with no password, it may not even be the Internet cafe’s real network! It could very well be a deceitful hacker purposely leaving a wifi hotspot open to attract clueless users into logging in for the purpose of obtaining their private information.

Knowing this, it is important to always ask the coffee shop’s staff members for the real name of their wireless hotspot. Make sure they spell it out for you correctly and that you do not choose any substitutes that may closely resemble the real hotspot’s name.

Somebody’s Watching You

Even if you’ve got the right hotspot name, logged in with a password, and have fully protected yourself from spilled coffee, there is still a chance your privacy can be compromised. Whether using free or paid Internet access, ISPs, billing companies and various websites are able to log user data and track wherever they visit.

Unless you are a networking genius, you probably have no idea how many stops your data makes along the Information Superhighway before it reaches its destination. Every stop leaves your private data that much more vulnerable to snooping.

The Solution

The best way to protect one’s private data while surfing online at a wifi café is to make use of a fast, reliable VPN service . A VPN service encrypts all of your data prior to sending it through the coffee shop’s local area network (LAN). It works like a private tunnel through which one’s data safely passes through the Internet. Data gets encrypted on the user’s computer, is then sent to the VPN’s server which relays it out to the final destination. This process prevents any prying eyes lurking around the local wifi hotspot from gaining access to your data. Regardless of what happens locally, your data is secure when using a VPN service.

Once you get used to surfing online with a VPN service, the only threats you’ll have to worry about at the local wifi café are clumsy staff, clumsy customers and the possibility of running out of your favorite mocha latte just when you need it the most!

Mike Alvarez reviews anonymous vpn services and has years of experience working as an online security specialist.

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