If you handle client data, log into your bank, or administer anything from café Wi-Fi, you're trusting every stranger on that network. A VPN is $3–5/month to stop doing that.

What actually goes wrong on public Wi-Fi

• Evil-twin hotspots — attacker runs a hotspot named "Starbucks WiFi" and watches everything unencrypted
• Session hijacking — older sites without HSTS can let an attacker ride your logged-in session
• Credential reuse exposure — that one site without HTTPS leaks the password you reused

What a VPN fixes (and doesn't)

A VPN encrypts your traffic to a trusted endpoint, defeating evil twins and local snooping. It does not protect you from phishing, malware, or yourself.

For solo business use, pick on three criteria: audited no-logs policy, fast WireGuard-based apps, and a price under $4/month on a long plan. NordVPN is the mainstream safe pick; any of the top audited providers work.

The 10-minute setup checklist

1. Install on laptop + phone 2. Enable kill switch and auto-connect on untrusted networks 3. Turn on two-factor auth everywhere while you're at it — that matters more than the VPN itself