If you stay informed on the latest risks and scams that travelers face, cybersecurity is probably on your radar.
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Back in the day, travelers were focused on keeping their physical belongings secure. Passports and plane tickets were top of mind, along with valuable items like jewelry and emotionally valuable items like your favorite scarf or pair of shoes.
Fast forward to 2026, and travelers need to know about digital threats. Pickpockets are still a thing (super fun), but there are lurking dangers that you’ll never see coming. They can steal financial and personal information, stranding you in a foreign country with a canceled credit card. They might even phish for money using a scam email.
One of the most commonly discussed topics regarding cybersecurity for travelers revolves around Wi-Fi. Pubic Wi-Fi is a well-known danger—it opens your device up to interference. But what about when you’re in a safe place like an airport? Is airport Wi-Fi safe to use, or is it just another risky public network?
Is airport Wi-Fi safe to use? Here’s what the experts say
Airport Wi-Fi comes under fire from cybersecurity experts for a few reasons. First, the airport is often a hectic place, meaning you might not notice you’re using the wrong Wi-Fi network. Second, because they’re so busy, some attackers really do focus their efforts on select airports, using Wi-Fi to gain access to unsuspecting passengers.
Here’s the short answer: Airport Wi-Fi is safe to use… assuming you’re aware of what not to do and how to protect yourself from hacking interlopers.
So, what’s the actual risk here? As in, what’s actually going on behind the scenes that puts you at risk when you use airport Wi-Fi networks?
First, some hackers can set up fake hotspots with names that look almost exactly like the official network. You don’t realize you’re signing up for the wrong network, meaning someone could capture your personal data.
Second, even if you do log in to the correct Wi-Fi network, it might not be encrypted at a high level. That makes it easy for hackers to ‘spy’, collecting sensitive financial and personal information. In some cases, public networks can even be used to launch spyware, ransomware, and other malware that infects your device. In this case, you might see compromised downloads or other strange files.
Lastly, rogue charging stations are also a risk. Some hackers reportedly alter public USB ports to physically insert malware into your device. That makes it easy for them to manipulate your device to intercept data and other sensitive information.
How to protect yourself when using airport Wi-Fi
After laying out the risks, you might be wondering why you’d ever log into public Wi-Fi at the airport. That being said, there are ways for you to use the internet at the airport without offering up your credit card numbers to random hackers on a silver platter.
You can use these tips to stay safe on public airport Wi-Fi, along with other public networks. They’re simple and straightforward.
- Use a VPN or a virtual private network. VPNs encrypt your connection, making it impossible for hackers to spy.
- Disable auto-connect from your Wi-Fi settings so you won’t join any networks without your permission. That way, you’re in control of which networks you join and when.
- Verify the network name. You want to look for dupe names that closely mimic the legitimate network. It’s easy to make this mistake in a busy airport when you’re desperately trying to download an airline’s app at the last second.
- Don’t log into any sensitive accounts at the airport. Avoid banking apps, work emails, personal emails, or making any purchases that require you to make a digital payment or input your card details.
- Charge your own devices. To prevent USB hacking, bring a charging device that you can use to top up your smartphone. That could be a battery pack or just a fully charged laptop.