This happens if you don't switch off your WiFi on the way

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Public WLAN - support or unimagined danger?

Many of us let the WLAN switch on in public space. But they often overlook the dangers with themselves

Do you always let your WLAN when you are on the go? We'll tell you why you should change that.

As soon as you leave the house, as a consumer you are dependent on your data volume. That can be quite expensive over time. Therefore, more and more people are falling back to WLAN in public space. But many do not know that they make hackers make the way to sensitive data.

Study reveals danger

Scientists from the University of Hamburg have in the course of oneStudyThe effects of the use of public WLANs examined and have come to a terrifying result.

With the help of antennas, 252,242 WLAN searches of telephones were examined in a filled pedestrian zone: a total of 58,489 SSIDs (names of WLAN networks), through which telephones had been elected in the past, were identified.

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Access to sensitive data: This can have it

In the course of the study, the scientists were able to access all data, such as the name, address, passwords and even the location of holiday homes. At the same time, a movement profile can be created, which shows the current location of the smartphone users.

Hackers can thus succeed in registering with the data on social networks and filtering out more information. In the worst case, the disclosure of the address can favor crimes such as break -ins.

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Experts advise: Deactivate WLAN in public space

Expert therefore advises to deactivate the WLAN in public space. TheFederal Office of Security and Information Technology(BSI) recommends that the WLAN only switch on the WLAN if it is really needed.

In addition, one should avoid accessing private data in a foreign WLAN. However, if this is not possible, the BSI advises this toVPN(Virtual private network). As a result, a new IP address is added to the smartphone instead of the original IP address.

By the way:With the deactivation of the WLAN, you can not only protect your privacy on the way, but also save massive battery capacity!