As most internet users would now be aware, accessing the internet on public Wi-Fi hotspots that are unsecure can bring forth several serious uncertainties. Public networks tend to be cesspools due to the increasing number of honeypot attacks, Wi-Fi spoofing, and other types of cyber attacks. If you happen to work remotely and are in need of access to valuable business data that are present on one of the private servers of your company, accessing them from an unsecure public Wi-Fi hotspot like in a coffee shop, airport, libraries, restaurants, etc. can put you in the risk of losing that data, and as a result your job. Browsing the internet on unsecured public networks can make your online data open to certain offensive characters.

Without regard to whether you are accessing the internet on public Wi-Fi hotspots as a result of no other available internet connection or for your own convenience of accessing the internet on the go, there are still eavesdroppers who use different types of tools to monitor, capture and misuse all your sensitive information. All such online threats can be avoided by using a Virtual Private Network, commonly known as VPN.

What Can Cybercriminals See?

Following are certain information that can be easily seen by cybercriminals when you access the internet from public Wi-Fi hotspots:

• Websites you visit: Every internet user will visit various websites when accessing the internet. You would definitely be one of them, and hence it is important to note that the very first and easiest information that can be seen by cybercriminals is the websites you visit. Eavesdroppers will be able to view the URLs of the websites you visit, in addition to the raw php, html, and other types of web code. If they want to take a further step, there are several techniques and tools that can be implemented by them to see which web page you are visiting exactly.
• Files you transfer over the internet: Any file or data, may it be personal or professional, you access from a public network or send and receive through an unsecured network, can be monitored and captured by cybercriminals easily. They can use special sniffing tools to export your files and save them on their systems. The files that can be easily sniffed include zip files, audio files, database files, images, documents, etc.
• Other information that can be captured and misused by cybercriminals includes your email messages, login credentials, conversations on your instant messaging services, etc.

How Can You Obtain Online Security?

A virtual private network will enable you to access a private network connection with ultimate security and share all your crucial data by way of public networks even when you are working remotely. Once you sign up to a VPN provider and install the software on your device, the VPN client will create a secure connection amidst one of its VPN servers located in a region of your choice and your device, enabling you to connect to the public Wi-Fi network as you would connect to your private network connection. This secure connection between your device and the server will act in the form of a tunnel by way of which you can send and receive all your crucial business and personal data safely and securely.

Due to this reason, virtual private networks are becoming immensely popular among business organizations as a method for securing their sensitive business data when accessing data centers remotely. In addition to businesses, increasing numbers of individual internet users are also starting to use VPNs to remain secure, private, and anonymous throughout their online sessions. Individual users use a VPN for other reasons as well: with a VPN connection, users get to fake their original physical location by replacing their IP address with a different one from a VPN server located in a country of their choice. This process helps them in accessing those websites that would otherwise be blocked in their place of residence, bypass internet censorship practices implemented in different countries, and also get around content filters.

Best VPN Service Providers

If you wish to remain completely secure when connecting via public Wi-Fi hotspots, use the connection offered by the following VPN providers:

Rank	Provider	Starting Price	MoneyBack	Visit Website
	ExpressVPN	$6.67/month	30 Days
2	VyprVPN	$14.95/month	7 Days
3	IPVanish	$10.00/month	7 Days
4	Hidemyass	$6.55/month	30 Days
5	StrongVPN	$21/ 3 Months	7 Days