Mobile working
Play the video above to begin. You will be presented with the same choices facing the person in the video and what you choose will influence the outcome of the scenario. The interactive video may not work on some smartphones.
When you use public Wi-Fi hotspots (for example in hotels or coffee shops), there is no way to easily find out who controls the hotspot, or to prove that it belongs to who you think it does. If you connect to these hotspots, somebody else could access:
- what you're working on whilst connected
- your private login details that many apps and web services maintain whilst you're logged on.
The simplest precaution is not to connect to the Internet using unknown hotspots, and instead use your mobile 3G or 4G mobile network, which will have built-in security. This means you can also use 'tethering' (where your other devices such as laptops share your 3G/4G connection), or a wireless 'dongle' provided by your mobile network. You can also use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), a technique that encrypts your data before it is sent across the Internet. If you're using third party VPNs, you'll need the technical ability to configure it yourself, and should only use VPNs provided by reputable service providers.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 from the National Cyber Security Centre.