A hotel Wi-Fi hack in Vegas made me rethink public networks

I was at a conference in Las Vegas last year and connected to the hotel's free Wi-Fi to check my email. Within an hour, I got a weird alert from my bank about a login attempt from another state. I'm pretty sure the network was compromised, maybe a fake hotspot set up to look real. Now I always use a VPN on any public network, no exceptions. But my coworker says VPNs slow things down too much and he just avoids logging into anything important. What's your take on balancing security with convenience on the road?

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3 Comments

bennett.noah6mo ago

Honestly, feels like people get a bit paranoid about this stuff. I just check my bank app later on my own data, never had a problem.

2

abbyg146mo ago

Yeah but the problem isn't checking your bank later, it's logging in on the fake network in the first place. That's when they grab your info.

8

mark_lane426mo ago

My uncle had his tax refund stolen at an airport lounge using the exact same trick. The thing is, we've all gotten used to free Wi-Fi being a basic service, like water from a fountain. That makes the risk feel invisible. Your coworker is right about the speed hit sometimes, but I'd rather wait an extra thirty seconds for a page to load than spend six months fixing identity theft. It's one of those small daily habits, like locking your car door, that just has to become automatic. The convenience isn't worth the potential disaster.

1