Comments for How do I stay safe in an internet cafe?

Comment from Alex on 2008-10-17

2008-10-17T19:52:58Z

Aslo it is strongly recommended using VPN when you are browsing in a public wi-fi zones, internet cafe..etc
I use personal vpn service (128byt encrypted) called VPN Privacy. Very fast and convinient.

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A comment on: How do I stay safe in an internet cafe?

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Comment from hackhelp on 2008-10-14

2008-10-14T09:33:20Z

Leo if your piggybacking on someone else's connection and you are on a httpS website can that info be sniffed or is it still secure?

Yep, https is point-to-point secure and safe from sniffing.

- Leo
14-Oct-2008

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Comment from Wade on 2008-10-07

2008-10-08T04:31:20Z

Few more public wi-fi security tips at:

http://www.freewifihotspotsoftware.com/security_tips.html

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Comment from Alisha on 2008-09-18

2008-09-18T14:55:30Z

hi, my sister has a wireless internet accross the road i would say less than 100m. is it possible to connect to conect to the same internet? is there any usb that covers the range of 100m to connect to the wireless internet connection? please reply Thanks

You might get lucky with an extra antenna or something (google "wifi antenna") but as I understand it 100m is at the very fringe of what WiFi is supposed to cover in the best of circumstances.

In otherwords, I would expect the answer to be "no".

-Leo

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Comment from Leo A. Notenboom on 2008-03-23

2008-03-23T23:35:09Z

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Hash: SHA1

I won't speak to the ethics, but I can certainly comment on
the RISK of using someone else's WiFi. YES, the owner of the
network you happen to be piggybacking on could monitor what
you're doing, and YES they could be doing it on purpoase.
I've certainly heard of exactly that happening - someonen
setting up a wireless access point in a public spot, and
then sniffing on whomever happens to connect.

Leo

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A comment on: How do I stay safe in an internet cafe?

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Comment from lorraine on 2008-03-20

2008-03-20T18:54:59Z

We here a lot about the ethics of Piggybacking from one's home onto an "unsecured" network and also the safety of those who "own" the account.
But, what about those who do the Piggybacking? Is it safe for us??
If someone leaves his network unsecured could they possibly be doing it on purpose to "sniff"?

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Comment from Tim on 2008-01-24

2008-01-24T22:57:48Z

Now that I am aware of the need for httpS, can I not change my gmail account to its use?

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Comment from Chuck Newman on 2008-01-22

2008-01-22T15:29:20Z

"Definitely do not do anything that has to do with payments, money, credit cards, etc.. Just surf the net." This is nonsense propagated by those who really do not understand various types of encryption and their proper uese. As Leo said, if you have an SSL (https) connection you don't need any further encryption. And you won't have any problems with credit card transactions or banking issues, whether wired or wireless. Again, as Leo said, it's "everything else" you do on the Internet that will be easily sniffed by a hacker (even a casual one)in a wireless environment. I started using HotSpotVPN several months ago and I'm very satisfied with the results. They are the only reasonably priced VPN service that I know of that offer client based SSL type VPN that is more secure and stable than the Open VPN services that use the XP based system. And you have three levels of security to select from. Now I use hot spots anywhere with full AES encryption for ALL my Internet usage. Great peace of mind.

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A comment on: How do I stay safe in an internet cafe?

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Comment from Michael Horowitz on 2008-01-21

2008-01-22T05:59:16Z

Earthlink's webmail system uses HTTPS all the time. Some webmail systems only use it for the login page, but not for reading and writing individual messages. Gmail will use HTTPS all the time, but only if you start out making an HTTPS request initially.

The need for safety with a wireless network is obvious. However, many people are not aware of the need for safety when plugging into a wired Ethernet connection in a hotel room. For more on that see my blog
Ethernet connections in a hotel room are not secure
http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13554_1-9854369-33.html

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Comment from Jaymes Brandon on 2008-01-20

2008-01-21T02:19:38Z

Thanks Leo....that is great advice! I sent a copy to my wife, who uses her laptop more frequently these days.
With all that is 'out there' it is good to know there are proper measures that can be applied to get the technological security necessary:-)

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Comment from tutu808 on 2008-01-18

2008-01-19T02:16:34Z

Thanks for all you do. To log onto gmail through an https connection, I will soon be traveling on a cruise ship which will probably have a wifi connection but if not I know it has connections on its own computers. How do I use an https connection in that circumstance?

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Comment from George Arauz on 2008-01-17

2008-01-17T13:57:13Z

definitely do not do anything that has to do with payments, money, credit cards, etc.. Just surf the net.

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A comment on: How do I stay safe in an internet cafe?

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