Public WiFi Security:
Effective Practices
One of the best things
about wireless Internet access is that it’s offered
for free by numerous businesses. Coffee shops, in
particular, are almost expected to offer WiFi
internet access to
their customers at this point. There are some very
real hazards associated with this sort of service,
however. In fact, if you run a Windows PC, you’ll be
given a “do you really want to do this?” warning
when you try to hook up to an unsecured wireless
network. This isn’t just a nuisance screen. There
are good reasons to worry. There are also ways to
mitigate your risk.
A lot of your public
wifi security
will depend upon the programs you’re using. There
are some obvious caveats: Don’t use your financial
software at the coffee shop. Unfortunately, many of
the programs people do use in these locations are
very unsecure and are, at the same time, the means
that are used to transmit the most secure of data.
What you need to understand about an unsecured
wireless network is not that anyone can hop on by
just requesting to join the network: Anything
transmitted over a wireless network may be
“sniffed”, read and used by anyone on the network.
An article on
SecurityFocus.com does a fine job of explaining the
vulnerabilities of the various popular programs.
Unfortunately, these programs constitute the bulk of
those used by most Internet surfers: email, Internet
browsers and instant messengers. These programs are
good and secure in and of themselves; it’s the
nature of an unsecured network that makes them
vulnerable. There are some solutions offered in the
article, including using encrypted messenger
protocols. Of course, most people hear about secure
connections and encryption and react in much the
same way as people react to story problems in their
math classes. Ironically,
security is really not
that difficult to learn.
Microsoft offers some
solutions for its own programs. Your operating
system, the browser you use and your instant
messaging program do all play into your security,
but there is more to security than programs. A great
deal of security has to do with your habits. When
you’re on an unsecured wireless network, you have to
modify your behavior online to suit the environment.
Most users will be glad to know, however, that you
can still go down to a coffee shop or city park and
work in relative safety.
Changing your
mentality is the first step in being smart about
security in public places. Assume that everything
you write in an email, send in a text or IM message
over the net and that any site you browse is public
information. Instead of worrying that someone may
look at what you’re doing, just go ahead and assume
that they are. This is not too hard; it’s roughly
the same mentality you use when taking a cellular
phone call in a public place. A bit of control over
information goes a long way toward making your
public WiFi use a lot safer and more sensible.
You need basic
security software on your system to use the
Internet, and this is even more the case if you’re
using public Internet. At a minimum, you need
anti-virus software and a firewall. There are plenty
of them available, and many are free. If you have a
shared documents folder, turn it off when you’re on
a public network. If your laptop is your main
computer, be aware that there’s probably a lot of
useful information on it for thieves and nefarious
types. Make sure that you keep an eye on your
machine at all times.
References:
http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/385
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/mobile/public/publicwireless.aspx
