A former CIA officer has warned that using public WiFi could put your personal information at risk, and he says people should think twice before connecting without extra protection.
Free internet access has become a standard feature in places like airports, hotels, shopping centres and even on public transport. It is convenient, but according to ex-CIA operative Jason Hanson, that convenience can come with serious security concerns.
Cybersecurity agencies still advise caution on open networks, especially when people are banking, shopping, checking sensitive accounts or entering passwords on connections they do not control. At the same time, experts note that risk varies depending on whether a hotspot is encrypted, whether the site itself uses secure connections and whether the user keeps software updated. Even so, public WiFi remains a place where attackers may try to intercept data or impersonate legitimate networks.
Hanson joined the CIA when he was 23 and spent seven years working for the agency. Since leaving, he has written the book Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life and launched Spy Briefing, a company that teaches clients skills including escape and evasion, hand-to-hand self-defence, evasive driving, firearms training and home protection.
Drawing on his intelligence background, Hanson said people often underestimate how vulnerable everyday devices can be. He argued that phones, laptops and cameras can all be exploited for surveillance.
“Every government agency on Earth can listen through your cell phone, can listen through your laptop, can listen through your cameras. It doesn’t matter what it is.
“If you think you have a cell phone that is gonna be like magic and the Agency’s not gonna listen in, they can.”
He also explained that he personally uses a flip phone rather than a modern smartphone with apps, saying it helps him avoid the constant tracking and data collection that comes with more advanced devices.
When the conversation turned to public WiFi, Hanson made it clear that he considers it a major risk unless it is being used alongside a VPN.
“If I log into public WiFi, the only time I would ever do it is if I’m using a VPN, a virtual private network,” Jason said.
“So basically it encrypts my traffic, all that kind of stuff. But I’m not just going to my hotel, or I’m not going when I’m flying on an aeroplane and logging into that public WiFi without a VPN.”
Security officials generally agree that a VPN can add a useful layer of protection by encrypting internet traffic, but they also caution that it is not a cure-all. A VPN does not make a careless user immune to phishing, malicious websites, compromised devices or fake hotspot names. The safest approach is still to avoid entering sensitive information on open networks whenever possible and to use cellular data or a trusted hotspot for important tasks.
He said the extra layer of encryption is essential if you want to reduce the chances of other people monitoring your online activity or accessing sensitive information.
“So I wanna make sure that my traffic’s encrypted. I wanna make sure it makes me look like, even though I live in Utah, when I’m on my VPN the other day, I said it lived, I was in New Jersey.
“But yeah, if you log into public WiFi without using a VPN or something else, you’re absolutely out of your mind because they’re just gonna read your mail, they’re gonna know everything about you. It is very unsafe.”
For travellers and commuters, the practical takeaway is simple: treat public WiFi as convenient, not trusted. If you need to use it, confirm the network is legitimate, avoid financial or highly sensitive accounts, keep your device updated and use extra protections such as a VPN or your phone’s mobile data when you can.
His warning is a blunt reminder that public internet connections may be easy to access, but they are not always safe to trust.