Public hotspots or Wi-Fi are never as secure as home or work Wi-Fi because they’re open to everyone. Any experienced middleman can break into the wifi security and keep track of your browsing activity. Hackers can also access your computer through public wifi and steal sensitive data from it. So, it’s always best to protect your Windows 11 PC before connecting to public wifi.

Hence, in this article, we will list some of the key points that will protect your Windows PC on public Wi-Fi.

1. Always Use a VPN

As we all know, one role of a VPN app is to encrypt your traffic and make you anonymous. Since VPNs re-route your traffic through their private servers spread across many regions, intermediaries won’t be able to access or steal your precious data.

Due to high-quality encryption, it would take a cybercriminal about a month to intercept your data. VPNs act as an extra layer of security, and everyone should connect to a private server’s IP address before using public Wi-Fi.

2. Keep Your Operating System Updated

 

Using Windows 11, you might have noticed that most system updates include bug fixes, patches, and security improvements. Security updates are the essential thing that you should never miss.

Even though timely updating the operating system doesn’t eliminate the risk of getting hacked completely, it indeed makes things difficult for cybercriminals.

So, it’s always best to keep Windows 11 updated. To update Windows 11, head to Settings > Windows Update > Check for Updates and download the available updates.

3. Turn off Network Discovery & Sharing

When network discovery is turned on, your computer can see other network computers and devices. Similarly, your device would be visible to other network computers. So, if you are using public wifi, it’s best to disable this option.

1. Open the Windows 11 search and type in Control Panel. Then, open Control Panel from the list.

2. In Control Panel, click on the Network and Internet option.

3. Click on the Network and Sharing Center on the next page.

4. On the left pane, click on the Change Advanced sharing settings option.

5. Select the Turn off network discovery option under Network Discovery.

6. Under File and printer sharing, select the Turn off file and printer sharing option.

4. Enable the Firewall & Network Protection

The firewall system is enabled by default, but a third-party antivirus program often turns it off.

The role of a firewall is to protect your PC from unknown threats and hackers. It detects and prevents malicious events or hackers from gaining unauthorized access to your PC.

1. Open the Windows Security app on Windows 11.

2. Click on Firewall & network protection.

3. On the next screen, click on the Public Network.

4. On the next screen, enable the toggle button for Microsoft Defender Firewall.

5. Disable wifi when you are not using it

While connecting to a public Wi-Fi, we are given an option to remember the network. This thing is done to enable the automatic wifi connection.

If you have enabled an automatic wifi connection, your wifi adapter will automatically connect to the public network it was once connected to.

Hackers might attempt to track your keystrokes or browsing history if this happens by installing malicious apps. Such apps and services run silently in the background and attempt to connect to the internet to exchange data.

It’s always best to disable the wifi connection when you are not using it. It will protect your PC and save your battery life.

6. Always Use HTTPS

You can easily spot a secure website by simply looking at the HTTPS mark on the address bar. If you are not using a VPN, don’t open websites that are not HTTPS-protected.

While entering sensitive details like passwords, ensure that the site has an encrypted connection. Therefore, if you are trying to visit a website on public Wi-Fi, make sure that the website URL starts with HTTPS.

If you are using Google Chrome, you can force the web browser to always use secure connections. For that, follow the steps given below.

1. Open the Google Chrome browser and click on the three dots.

2. From the list of options, select Settings.

3. On the Settings page, click on the Security & Privacy option.

4. Then, on the right, click on the Security option.

4. Find and enable the ‘Always use secure connections’ option under Security.

7. Update Your Antivirus/Internet Security Program

Various antivirus programs and internet security suites provide your wifi protection feature. Also, many security suites these days come with a built-in VPN.

It’s always recommended to update your security program, especially before connecting to public wifi.

These are several ways to protect your computer while using public wifi. I hope this article helped you! Please share it with your friends also. If you have any doubts about this, let us know in the comment box below.