New Delhi, 27 April (IANS). The central government issued a warning to all citizens, saying that financial transactions and sensitive activities should not be done using public Wi-Fi network.
The central government said that free public Wi-Fi may look convenient in airports, coffee shops and public places, but it can be very risky for your personal and financial information.
Many of these public Wi-Fi networks are not appropriately safe, making them an easy goal for hackers and scamsters.
To strengthen digital safety awareness, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN) has released this new reminder under its ‘Awareness Day’ initiative.
In the advisory, citizens have been warned to conduct sensitive activities like banking or online shopping on public Wi-Fi networks.
CERT-in reported that cyber criminals can easily hack unprotected connections on public Wi-Fi, which may cause users’ data theft and financial loss.
The government has advised people to avoid transactions or entering personal information when they join such a network.
As part of its awareness campaign, CERT-IN has also shared some essential safety practice tips.
It said that never click on links or attachments from unknown sources, use long and strong passwords for all online accounts and regularly place backup of important files on the outer drive.
These habits can help in making strong safety around personal information.
The government agency said that if proper precautions are not taken, simple activities like checking email or logging in social media accounts on public Wi-Fi can also be risky.
CERT-IN is a national agency responsible for cyber security in India. It works under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
-IANS
ABS/