In the article, "Public Wi-Fi: Be Very Paranoid," a very important point was made. Many people today use wireless networks all the time not worrying about whether there information is made readily available to others. When in fact many wireless networks at airports, etc. are not even unencrypted. Even if they are usually it can easily be broken. Therefore, it is very important to make sure that you are not transmitting private information, such as social security numbers over such networks. Even passwords can be determined over these networks so one must safeguard against using any networks that could provide others with passwords to such logins as their bank statements. In addition, individuals should make sure that they are allowed to access networks before doing so. If they are not allowed to they could be charged with theft of service. In addition, those who have wireless networks at their homes should make sure that they do not have them open for others to access.
This is a very serious issue and needs to be addressed by everyone to make sure that information is secure when using wireless networks. While everyone should not be paranoid, they should be aware and protect themselves against such events from happening.
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4 comments:
My company laptop must be accessed using a "Secure ID" as well as a PIN and a password. This make it very dfficult for anyone to hack into our system. I'm not saying that it is not possible, just harder. Most people just assume that if they are on a public Wi-Fi, that the ones who are offerig it, surely setup the most security possible - wrong.
A side note...
If you are travelling and need to get an internet connection on your laptop, stop at a hotel. Most have wireless networks and few have any kind of network protection.
In most cases you can stop the their parking lot, use their connection, and be back on the road in a hurry. Best part, you don't even have to buy anything.
Nothing is for sure. Although one should not be paranoid, it is always better to be a bit cautious on sensitive information.
The Internet is definitely a hazard. Hopefully, in the near future, the system will be a bit more safe for people to use.
To certain extend I agree with you, but trust me these days company laptops have many security features that are hard to hack. But again the reason I agree with you is there are many folks that can break this security. So the best thing is to avoid such connections in a busy public place like an airport. On the other hand, motel/hotel and other such connection don't have that many users.
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