We have moved away from the philosophical concept that everything is connected with physical reality, that almost everything is interconnected. But there are times when you can’t connect to your home or work network or a public Wi-Fi hotspot. This is where the mobile hotspot modem comes into play.
What is tethering to mobile hotspot?
Most phones or devices that can connect to a cellular network to access the Internet can share this connection. It can share it with devices in a very small area via a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection.
The part where you connect your device to your phone is the modem part. Technically, every time you connect two devices wirelessly or with a cable like a USB cable, you pair them.
The part where you set up the device’s cellular network connection and share that connection is part of the mobile hotspot. There will be an option somewhere on your device where you can tell it to share its internet connection. This will allow you to name the connection and set a password that you can pass on to other people so they can connect their devices.
How could that be dangerous?
There are several ways that can cause you problems.
Your cellular data bill could skyrocket
Have you ever shared your Wi-Fi password with a friend only to discover by the end of the night that your internet speed has dropped to a minimum? Then you connect to your router and see that half of the apartment building is on your network? Sorry, but this is human nature.
You give the password to one person. You ask not to pass them on to anyone. Then they talk to their friend and think, “Well, this is another person. Nothing wrong. They will not tell anyone the password. “And this chain continues.
Imagine this happening to your mobile phone. Imagine you only have 5GB of data, but 5 people are streaming Netflix. An hour later, you pay hundreds of dollars to watch The Hills Have Eyes 3.
Your information may be intercepted
Every time you start transmitting information over the air, it becomes more vulnerable than if it was transmitted over the air. This can be done in a number of ways, such as a man-in-the-middle attack or transmission interception using packet analysis.
When someone connects to your phone, you create a two-way street. If you provide access, you may be attacked by a guest. If you are a guest, you may be giving the host a chance to frolic with your phone.
Confidential data leaks possible
If you are a company owner, this could mean that you are losing data from your office. Imagine: An employee wants to access unauthorized sites at work, so he connects his laptop to his mobile phone to bypass your network. What’s stopping them from sending your customer list or pricing strategy to someone else? You wouldn’t know and you couldn’t stop it.
Your phone battery drains much faster
Okay, it’s not dangerous, but if you rely on your phone to keep in touch with family and friends, it can be a problem. Your phone is already consuming a fair amount of power to check from time to time if there is a cell tower nearby.
Then you turn your phone into a WiFi router, and it needs more power to maintain access to everything that is tied to it and constantly talks to the cell tower. If your phone’s battery can last several days in standby mode, do not expect it to last more than a few hours when connected to it.
You will also notice that when your battery runs out of power quickly, it becomes unusually hot. Too hot to put in your pocket. So it can be dangerous, especially if you leave it on a soft surface like a sofa or bed.
How to connect to your mobile device safely
Let’s put an end to the concept of complete security. This is an illusion. The best you can hope for in life is reasonable security. That is, you are satisfied that bad things happen much less often than good things.
- Use a modem only when necessary. If you know how to separate needs from desires, you will likely find that this is almost never necessary.
- Allow binding only to people you trust unconditionally. For most people, this is a short list. I’m talking about people you would trust with your bank card and PIN. Which you should never do either.
- Limit the amount of time you are allowed to use the modem. If you need to use a binding to send a report to your boss, connect to it, email the report, and then disconnect the modem.
- If your phone supports it, restrict access to authorized devices only.
- If you enable tethering for longer than necessary, keep an eye on which devices are connected. If you don’t recognize them or there are too many of them, turn off the mobile hotspot immediately.
- Do not use the same password for the modem more than once. If you’ve allowed a friend to connect once and he sees that your phone is connected to the hotspot again, he will most likely connect. Or, if the connection is saved, their phone might connect even if they don’t know it. Now you download updates for their sports apps with your money. Phones will often generate a password or PIN for you. Some phones do this with a limited number of words or default PINs, making it easier to iterate over your phone’s connection.
- Consider using a VPN when connecting to someone else’s mobile hotspot. In fact, you should be using a VPN when connecting to someone else’s network, period.
- Make sure you have a place to charge your phone. You are going to discharge it quickly, and if this is your only lifeline, you should be able to quickly charge it.
- If you are a business owner and you don’t have a mobile device management (MDM) system and strict computer and phone policies, sooner or later you will pay. Choose to pay a known amount for MDM, or decide to potentially lose your business by betting against the odds. Your call.
The reality of secure connectivity for mobile hotspots
Now you know what could have happened. Also keep in mind that the bad guys and the good guys are developing new hacks every day.
Is there a chance that you will be hacked via a modem? There are no statistics on this, but no one thinks that they will get into a car accident. The sad fact is that almost everyone gets into some kind of car accident. If you’re lucky, paint chips. If not, this event will change your life. So we are all insured.
Along the same lines, be your own insurance against mobile hotspot tethering. Follow the tips above and keep an eye on your phone. Maybe you will be one of the lucky few who has never had an accident or caused it.
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