Using a public Wi-Fi network is no longer as risky as it was a decade ago, as the mass adoption of HTTPS has made it more difficult to snooping in network communications.
This is the last message of Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), which explains that the advice that used to be about avoiding using any public Wi-Fi and sticking to networks with a password no longer applies these days.
"This advice came from the Internet, when most communications were not encrypted. At that time, if someone could look at your network communications, they could read your email. They could also steal your passwords or login cookies to emulate you on your favorite websites. ”
But the rapid adoption of HTTPS has solved this shortcoming of public Wi-Fi networks, according to the EFF. 92% of websites in the United States currently use the HTTPS protocol, its use is constantly increasing in all other countries.
However, the EFF Foundation explains that HTTPS doesn't necessarily protect all of your data, as some information is still exposed when you're connected to a public Wi-Fi and someone is maliciouss user trying to spy on you.
Information such as the domain name you open on browser you, the size of the files you download or upload are available to someone monitoring your communications, but on the other hand, your login names, passwords and messages are fully protected.
"They could see this metadata, as the ISP could see it when you browse your home. "If it is not a risk for you, then you should not worry about using public Wi-Fi," says the EFF.