Learn: Is it Safe to Use Hotel Wi-Fi for Banking?

Posted on 29th April 2021

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Some time ago, people tried to always keep the passport and wallet with money and credit cards safely, preventing thieves from stealing important documents. At present, they act the same while traveling, but they also have to pay attention to the smartphone. Imagine that you are staying at a hotel. Perhaps, you won’t leave your passport lying on the room table or something like that. If you do, you allow others to get access to your personal information. Is it safe to use hotel Wi-Fi for banking? No, it is not, and here is why.

Logging into Hotel Wi-Fi

Let’s see. You are traveling, and at last, you are in your hotel room, trying to relax and do some important things. Even though the hotel’s staff tries to be hospitable and arrange great conditions for your staying, there are no guarantees that the person who is responsible for the hotel’s Wi-Fi network has turned on all security features. It means that hotel Wi-Fi hotspots are not secure even if you have a complicated password. You can’t be on the safe side until you use VPN to encrypt your data. With a reliable tool, like VeePN, you have fewer risks for sharing personal data with third parties. Otherwise, you can face undesired consequences.

Do hotels monitor their Wi-Fi?

It is challenging to say whether a hotel that you are staying at monitors its network. Still, one thing is evident, and hotel administration can do this. Hotel servers similar to other servers are not unique. It means that a log file of information transaction performed by other users is kept by the management. In other words, the staff can easily check what sites you have visited, how much time you have spent on them even though they can’t see the contents of your communication. Doesn’t sound quite private, yes?

Is It Safe to Use Hotel Wi-Fi for Banking: Consequences

Of course, public Wi-Fi is very convenient, letting you start online activities without mobile Internet. Still, it comes with a number of potential consequences that may spoil your impression and even overall journey.

Stolen credit cards and numbers

The hackers can easily steal information about your credit card by setting up a Man in the Middle. It means that they will get the data just on its way to the bank or another destination. The hackers find an unsecured Wi-Fi spot and take your data while you are entering it to buy something online or perform another financial transaction. The criminals also can start Evil Twin attacks, allowing them to create a Wi-Fi signal similar to the one that a hotel provides. As a result, they can watch all your online activities and take your credit card numbers.

Stolen bank information

It is very simple for criminals to steal the person’s bank account information while public Wi-Fi is used. They can do it with Evil Twin or Man in the Middle again for monitoring your online bank account and how you log into it. This way, you risk losing your bank data.

Eavesdropping of online activities

Most people are sure that they are safe enough while using the hotel’s Wi-Fi. They view web pages, send e-mails, do online shopping, and even do not understand that cybercriminals are watching them. The reality is the opposite. Hackers can easily get detailed information about your online activities and take advantage of them.

Infecting the device with malware

Experienced hackers i’m not only to steal your financial details but send the malware to your device while you are using a hotel’s Wi-Fi spot. It means that you are risking not only credit card details but your laptop, smartphone, or whatever you use to log in.

Is It Possible to Be Safe While Using a Hotel’s Wi-Fi?

As the hotel Wi-Fi security doesn’t exist at all, you must care about the safety of personal data on your own. Here is how you can do it:

Remember about potential risks. In case the network is not protected, the risks to face cybercriminals who want to steal your personal information are quite high. You should always keep them in your mind and think twice before performing any financial action via a public hotspot.
Do not log into banking accounts. It is better to use your mobile Internet instead of a Wi-Fi spot to make any financial transactions. Of course, it is more expensive, but anyway, you will stay safe and won’t have to worry about your banking details.
Enable the firewall. It will help you avoid possible problems; in case somebody will plan to attack the hotel network. A good firewall comes up with a strong gateway defense, which means difficulties for cybercriminals to get access to your system.
Avoid joining a new network carelessly. Hackers create a few hotspots to confuse the users. While people think that they are using the legitimate hotspot, they are not actually. It is recommended to consult the hotel’s staff in case you notice two networks with identical names and do not know which one to use.
Encrypt your information. You can do it with a simple encryption tool that is called VPN. This technology helps the person stay safe even while using an unsecured wireless network. This is done in two ways: encrypting your online communication and cloaking your IP address. As a result, nobody can watch and follow your online activities.

Is It Safe to Use Hotel Wi-Fi for Banking with VPN?

Yes, it is. If a VPN service is enabled on your device, then you can safely use a public network and do not worry about the safety of your data. It created a virtual channel between a remote VPN server and your device. The server works as a middleman between the system and the Internet. In simpler words, the site deals with VPN while the server interacts with your device. No one can check what site you are navigating across or what data you are sharing online, thanks to the encryption of the interaction. Third parties can only see that you use VPN and nothing else. It doesn’t only sound safe enough, but it actually is so.

The Reasons to Use VPN Service While Travelling

It is evident that you use public hotspots while traveling and staying at a hotel. This makes you the best target of hackers. That’s why a reliable VPN, like VeePN, may become a true godsend to you. Besides the security guarantees, VPN comes up with a wide range of other benefits for your device. Here they are:

Protection of all devices. You can install VeePN on Mac, Windows, Android, iOS and use it on your laptop, phone, tablet, router, or Apple TV, сconnecting up to 10 devices with one subscription.
Access to favorite programs/shows. There is no need to refuse to watch your favorite programs while traveling in another country. You can stay in your hotel room, choose the location of your native country, and have a great time as if you were at your home place.
Internet freedom. Some countries ban access to popular social networking (Twitter, Facebook, etc.), while others do not allow them to visit certain websites. With such a reliable VPN as VeePN, you can visit any site that you want despite your location and enjoy limitless capabilities.
Absence of irritating adverts. Probably there are not people who love ads. A good VPN service will decrease the number of annoying ads and let you enjoy online activities without distraction.
Change the location. You can pretend to be a resident of any country that you want just by tapping a pin on the map. In case someone tries to get in touch with you, he/she will think that you are based on the mentioned location.

Final Remarks

Now you know the answer to the question, “Is it safe to use hotel Wi-Fi for banking?”. The answer is negative, so it’s not recommended to use a public network while staying at a hotel. However, not all people manage to follow this recommendation as it’s difficult to settle down things without access to the Internet these days. Suppose you also have to use a hotel Wi-Fi for banking. In that case, you should do your best to prevent cybercriminals from getting access to your credit card details while performing financial operations online. Practice the above-discussed tips and pay special attention to choosing a reliable VPN service. VeePN is an efficient service that can easily encrypt your data and be calm about banking details as no person can watch your online activities. Mind that you should care about the protection of your data twice better while using the hotel Wi-Fi.