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Internet Security

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Back in January of 2015, a 7-year-old girl named Betsy Davies was able to hack into and view the traffic of a WiFi hotspot in under eleven minutes. Thankfully she was being supervised by a cybersecurity professional and this hack was not malicious; Betsy's man-in-the-middle attack was part of a cybersecurity awareness campaign meant to show how even a child can hack an open WiFi network. 

If you use an open WiFi network without the protection of a VPN you risk exposing your personal information and internet activity to hackers like Betsy. In order to stay safe when using the internet, you should always pay attention to the security of the sites you frequent as well as the networks you use.

Did you know...

OU IT Security blocked over 4 million malicious events with the firewall in the last week of November 2018.

How can you stay safe?

Avoid unsecured websites 

  • Secured websites include “HTTPS” at the beginning of their URL’s while the URL’s of unsecured websites begin with “HTTP” - remember that the S in HTTPS stands for "secure". 
  • Secured (HTTPS) websites will encrypt any data you share with them and prevent your sensitive information from being stolen or intercepted.  
    • An example of a secured site is one.ou.edu. When you visit One to pay your tuition, your credit card number is encrypted and hidden from any hackers attempting to intercept your information.   
  • Unsecured (HTTP) websites do not encrypt your information which puts you at greater risk of data theft. 

Think twice before you connect

How quick are you to connect to a WiFi network that is public and free? What things do you do or look at while on this network? Free is always great, but is it the best choice?

  • The safest way to access the internet using WiFi is with encrypted WiFi networks that scramble information you send or access so it is hidden from cybercriminals. Encrypted networks are usually password-protected – like the encrypted WIFI@OU network. 
  • Free WiFi networks are not always what they seem – did you know when you connect to an open network you may be connecting to a hacker-made hotspot? These so-called “Evil Twin” attacks are one of many methods Links to an external site. hackers use to steal your data over open or unencrypted WiFi connections. 
  • In order to prevent WiFi attacks, there are a few steps you should take before clicking “Connect”: 
    • Usually, a hacker’s hotspot will have an official-sounding name so users will trust the network. When you scan the list of open WiFi networks and spot several similar WiFi names in the same location, a hacker may be attempting to present their unsafe hotspot as a nearby, legitimate network. Before choosing a WiFi network, check the name for weird spelling or grammatical errors (ex. free starucks.wifi is suspect while Starbucks WiFi is not) and when in doubt, do not connect to the suspect network.  
    • While checking WiFi names you should also be able to see whether a network is open (unencrypted) or private (encrypted). Always opt for private over public networks when given the option. 
    • Another way to stay safe on public networks is to download a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to your device(s). VPN's encrypt your internet activity and privatize your public connections. If you fall for a hacker’s hotspot, a VPN will prevent most of the data transmitted on the network from being intercepted and will encrypt any information the hacker is still able to catch.  
    • If you must connect to an open WiFi network without the protection of a VPN do not log in to your password-protected accounts as your credentials could be easily recorded and stolen.

Don't download software from questionable sites

  • Use common sense and do your research before downloading software or files from a site. Is this a site you trust or is it a page you stumbled upon? Always do your best to only download files or software from official and reputable sites.
    • For example, download Microsoft software from Microsoft's website.
  • Always keep current antivirus software on your device. When you purposely or accidentally download a file containing malware, antivirus programs will detect and stop that malicious software from running on your device.

 

For information on torrenting and recommended VPN's head over to our Bonus module.