Saw a guy at the local library log into his bank on public WiFi and it changed my mind about VPNs

I was at the public library over on Oak Street last Tuesday waiting for my turn at the printer when this dude next to me just pulls up his banking app on the free WiFi. I always figured VPNs were overkill for regular folks like me, but watching that made me realize how easy it would be for someone to snag that info. Now I actually use a VPN on public networks, even just for checking email. Has anyone else had a moment where they saw something dumb and it made them change their own habits?

3 comments

3 Comments

nina_hall4819d ago

And it's funny you mention that because my cousin actually had his identity stolen last year after using the library computers without a VPN, but the weird thing is the guy who stole it didn't even do it over WiFi, he just looked over his shoulder at the password. I mean I still use a VPN now because I'm paranoid after that story but I also angle my screen away from people like I'm guarding nuclear codes or something, which is probably just as important.

keith27419d ago

Oh man, that's wild. Same thing happened to a buddy of mine at a coffee shop. He was logging into his bank on his laptop and some guy sitting two tables over just leaned forward and watched him type his password. Didn't even try to hide it. My buddy only noticed when the guy got up and left real quick. Now he's got one of those privacy screen protectors on his laptop and still uses a VPN on public WiFi too. You can't be too careful these days, can you?

miasanchez19d ago

Does that make us paranoid or just smart? Ngl I've caught myself doing the whole 'ninja screen tilt' thing in a coffee shop even when I'm just scrolling through memes, like someone's gonna steal my funny cat video password.