Google Free Airport Wi-Fi: How to secure your data

November 11, 12:09 PMWorldwide Travel ExaminerMark Resnicoff

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  Passenger using laptop at an airport – Photo: Michal Osmenda (Creative Commons)

Attempting to make holiday travel easier and more pleasant, Google has partnered with 47 airports across the country to provide passengers free Wi-Fi service from November 10, 2009 through January 15, 2010. Google is also offering this complimentary service on all Virgin America flights during the same time period.

This may sound like a great way to save money while traveling over the holidays, but travelers should be aware that Google’s complimentary airport Wi-Fi service is not part of a secure network. Hackers and identity thieves are likely to descend on the nations airports, ready to steal personal information from the computers of unsuspecting travelers.

Public Wi-Fi hotspots are open by nature, unencrypted and notoriously insecure. All information transmitted through laptop computers, smartphones and gaming devices can easily fall into the wrong hands.

To reduce exposure to unwanted risks, travelers planning to take advantage of Google’s generosity are advised to follow standard Wi-Fi safety precautions, such as:

• Make sure you only connect to legitimate hotspots
• Use a virtual private network (VPN) to establish private connections across public networks
• Disable sharing on your Wi-Fi enabled devices
• Install anti-virus software on your laptop and make sure it is up-to-date
• Install a personal firewall on your laptop for increased protection
• Use hotspots that offer WPA2 secure networks
• Avoid banking, paying bills, shopping or any online activity that use financial data (e.g. bank account numbers and credit cards)

Industry trade group Wi-Fi Alliance offers detailed tips for securing your Wi-Fi experience on their security page.