Everything from your Wi-Fi router to a new baby monitor might ship with a default username and password, such as “admin” for both credentials. You should change them right away to prevent exposure to botnets designed to take over devices with easily guessed logins.

Avoid online shopping, banking, and sensitive work that requires passwords or credit card information while using public Wi-Fi. And only use sites that begin with “https://” when online shopping or banking.

Passwordless public Wi-Fi is unencrypted, meaning your data can be intercepted while using it. Consider setting up a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt your connection and shield your activities from prying eyes on public networks. Short of that, look for “semi-public” alternatives such as coffeeshop/restaurant Wi-Fi with a requestable password (usually on a receipt) […]

Make sure all of your computers and mobile devices are equipped with antivirus software, firewalls, web filters, and antispyware. This software should be updated regularly; outdated security software offers no defense against the latest threats. Set up automatic updates or at least manually apply each upgrade. Be sure this software is active whenever you download […]

Online banking is a very convenient service for millions of account holders. At the same time, it needs to be handled with care.

Thinking of connecting to a public Wi-Fi network? Here’s what you need to know first.