Public WiFi: Why You Should Never Connect Your Bank There
Connecting your bank to public wifi is riskier than it seems. On an open network, anyone connected to the same wifi can intercept the traffic you send if it's not properly protected.
This is called a Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack: someone positions themselves between your device and the server you're connecting to, and can read or modify the data traveling in between. On a café, airport, or hotel wifi, that "someone" could be sitting next to you.
Why public wifi is different
At home, only you (and whoever has the password) are on the network. On public wifi, dozens or hundreds of strangers share the same connection. Many of these networks don't encrypt traffic between your device and the router.
🔑 The "Evil Twin" risk
There's an even more dangerous variant: someone creates a wifi network with a name almost identical to the official one ("Cafeteria_WiFi" instead of "Cafeteria-WiFi"). If you connect by mistake, all your traffic goes directly through their equipment.
What to do if you need to use public wifi
Encrypt your traffic even if the network is insecure. Proton VPN or Windscribe have free plans.
Wait until you have mobile data or a trusted network for sensitive operations.
Your phone could connect on its own to an "Evil Twin" network without you noticing.
The lock in the address bar indicates that the connection is end-to-end encrypted.
Even if your password is stolen, they can't get in without the key. It's the protection that actually works even if you fall victim to a MitM attack.
The layer that VPN doesn't cover
A VPN encrypts your connection, but it doesn't prevent your password from leaking another way. YubiKey adds a second physical factor: even if someone gets your password, they need the key in their hand to get in.
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Fits in any wallet without adding bulk. NFC works without removing the key from the tray. Made in Spain (EU).
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Frequently asked questions
Is it dangerous to use public wifi for everything?
Not for everything. Browsing or reading news has little risk. The danger increases when you access accounts with sensitive data: banking, main email, or password managers.
With a VPN am I completely protected?
VPN encrypts your traffic, but doesn't protect you if your password leaks elsewhere (a data breach, prior phishing). That's why it's best to combine it with a second physical factor.
What exactly is an "Evil Twin" attack?
A fake wifi network that mimics the name of a legitimate network so you connect by mistake. All your traffic then goes through the attacker's equipment.
Verdict
Public wifi isn't the enemy — connecting without protection is
A VPN reduces the risk of someone seeing your traffic. A YubiKey eliminates the risk of a stolen password being enough to access your accounts. Neither replaces the other: they complement each other.
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