The US National Security Agency (NSA) released a set of recommendations on how to secure wireless devices in public settings. The new guidance is designed to help National Security System (NSS), Department of Defense (DoD), and Defense Industrial Base (DIB) teleworkers identify potential threats and minimize risks to their wireless devices and data.

“Cyber actors can compromise devices over Bluetooth, public Wi-Fi, and Near-Field Communications (NFC), a short-range wireless technology. This puts personal and organizational data, credentials, and devices at risk. Devices include laptops, tablets, mobile, wearable, and others that can connect to public wireless technologies,” the agency notes.

“If users must connect to public Wi-Fi, they should take necessary precautions, such as using a personal or corporate-provided virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt the traffic.”

The info sheet provides best practices for securing devices when conducting business in public settings, as well as steps users can take to secure their devices and data.

To reduce the risks, the agency advises to avoid connecting to public Wi-Fi, when possible, and use a corporate or personal Wi-Fi hotspot with strong authentication and encryption whenever possible. It also recommends users to disable Bluetooth and NFC while in public and not in use to prevent the exposure of the information that can be used to compromise the device.