The internet is now a main part of our everyday lives, and businesses use it for their daily operations. However, they have to be security-conscious because cyber attackers often try to gain unauthorized access to their networks to view information they should not be privy to.
It can be challenging for businesses to protect their network, especially if they provide network access to their employees and customers because an attack can come from anywhere. Fortunately, they can now safeguard their network by using captive portals to restrict access to it.
What Is a Captive Portal?
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A captive portal is a login page that requires internet users to provide a username and password to gain access to a network. It is a crucial cybersecurity tool because it prevents data breaches, malware infections, and business disruptions.
This is how captive portals work: The login credentials users input on the login page will be validated against the list of authorized users stored in a database. When there is a match, the entry request is authorized, and the user will be able to use the internet. Click on the highlighted text to get more detailed information on this.
Captive portals can be customized so businesses can show users their terms of use, place a logo, gather sales lead information, display advertisements, and more. They can also use the portal to limit the bandwidth of each user on the network.
Businesses That Use Captive Portals
In theory, any business that grants internet access to a large number of people can use a captive portal. However, they are commonly found in restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, resorts, malls, and offices.
Establishments that have people walking in and out of their doors regularly need captive portals because they do not know the background of everyone they come in contact with. This protects people from cybercriminals who log onto free public Wi-Fi to steal the personal information of other people on the network.
Businesses also use captive portals to encourage people to pay for their products. For example, a cafe may only give people their Wi-Fi password if they pay for a cup of coffee or cake. In offices, captive portals might be necessary to restrict employees’ internet access and prevent people in the building’s environs from gaining free access to the company’s network and cloud platform. This security measure prevents hackers from camping outside office buildings and infiltrating their networks to extract sensitive data.
Negative Effects of Cyber Attacks
Cyber attacks are disastrous to businesses because the malicious actors that perpetrate them can steal their sensitive data, infect their network with ransomware, and damage their reputation. All these can set them back financially, limit their ability to cater to customers and reduce their public appeal. This is why businesses must take adequate cybersecurity measures to protect themselves, and using captive portals is one of them.
Endnote
Captive portals are web pages that help businesses give employees and customers access to their internet while keeping out unauthorized parties. When people connect to the Wi-Fi of an establishment that uses it, they are greeted with a web page demanding that they input a valid username and password before they can access the internet. This keeps out cyberattackers and other malicious actors aiming to steal people’s information and disrupt the business.
