Hidden in the middle.... (Week 3)

Going to your local coffee shop can be a great place to not only enjoy a cup of coffee, but you can also get access to free public Wi-Fi. While that seems appealing and cost effective, it might be worth thinking about the security risks beforehand.

When using public Wi-Fi, and not taking proper precautions, it’s possible for someone to intercept the information you are sending or receiving. This is referred to as eavesdropping or a Man in the Middle attack. This is a great way for threat actors to gain access to private information, whether passwords, emails, or even banking info.

Essentially a person trying to gain access will digitally put themselves on the same path as you in order to get access, or this can happen by connecting to a ‘fake’ public Wi-Fi connection. While using this analogy is a great way to explain the how and the implications, it's worthy to note that this isn't just a 'free public wi-fi' type of attack, it can also happen on other unsecure connections as well. To keep yourself safe, one should utilize VPNs, HTTPS, and avoid accessing private or sensitive information while on a public connection..