4 Examples of a Public Network

John Spacey, November 18, 2017

A public network is a network that is accessible to the public. By participating in a public network, you expose your connected devices to the world. This requires defensive computing whereby you consider the information security risks involved. The following are common examples of a public network.

Internet

The internet is a large scale public network in which billions of devices, websites and other services participate.

Internet Access

Public wifi and other internet access such as a wired connection offered by a hotel. When you use public internet access you need to trust the provider because they could pretend to be the real internet but send you to their own servers. In other words, a wifi provider could give you fake sites to try to steal your information such as passwords.

Local Networks

Local area networks that are open to the public. These may be provided as an information service by a city or institution such as a library.

Global Networks

The internet has some competition whereby global networks that are open to the public exist that are based on different conventions, infrastructure or technologies.

Overview: Public Network
Type	Networking
Definition	A network that is accessible to the public.
Related Concepts	Networking » Networking » Information Security »