Transit Wireless is committed to helping subway network users stay secure online. Our Network Operations department works closely to monitor the subway Wi-Fi networks for suspicious activity to provide the safest possible network for consumers.
However, with the proliferation of mobile devices and readily available online hacking tools, consumers must be vigilant in protecting themselves when they sign on to any open public Wi-Fi network. Users of free public Wi-Fi should always take the following steps to stay secure, whether they’re on the subway platform, at their favorite coffee shop or signed on to available Wi-Fi on-the-go.
Steps Users Can Take to Stay Secure
Use a VPN:
- One of the most important steps a user can take to stay secure on free public Wi-Fi is to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network.)
- Securing all connections on public networks via VPN will encrypt all user communications – creating a secure tunnel from a person’s device to their online destination, and back again.
Surf smart:
- Use common sense when surfing online on public Wi-Fi hotspots.
- Don’t log in to highly personal sites, like healthcare or banking sites, when waiting for your subway train.
- Rule of thumb: If you wouldn’t want the person next to you to see what you’re doing on your tablet or smartphone, you might want to think about waiting to log in until you’re on your private home network.
Use a trusted Wi-Fi provider:
- If possible, users should try to connect to a network managed by a trusted Wi-Fi provider.
- At the New York subway stations with Wi-Fi, Transit Wireless manages and operates the Wi-Fi service, so users should look to connect to the “Transit Wireless Wi-Fi” network.
- Transit Wireless has 24-7 security in order to monitor the network for suspicious activity and rogue APs.
Secure your connections:
- Five key letters to remember when logging on to a website on a public network: HTTPS. By adding HTTPS to a URL, and updating security settings on your favorite site to allow you to browse securely, provides authentication of the web site and associated web server that one is communicating with, which can protect against man-in-the-middle attacks.
- Most popular services – like Twitter, Facebook and Gmail – can be configured to connect using a secure method.
Update your passwords:
- Users can improve their odds of staying secure by creating a long passwords with a variety of characters, and by updating them regularly.
- Never share your passwords with anyone, and make sure your most important passwords (bank accounts, credit card statements, ecommerce sites) are totally unique for each site.
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