Good to know when using public wifi, don't want people stealing your identity....
http://mp3sparks.us/?p=57If you travel on behalf of your organization, you likely bring along a laptop so you can stay productive while you’re away. And because many airports, hotels, and coffee shops are now equipped with so-called hotspots — access points that let you surf the Web using a wireless Internet connection — you probably take advantage of these opportunities to check your email, log in to your nonprofit’s intranet, and generally find out what’s going on back at the office. But while using a public hotspot to surf the Internet can help you get work done from the road, it can also potentially compromise your organization’s privacy. Because public hotspots lack any sort of security measures, it’s possible that other people using the same wireless connection can intercept the information you send and receive across the Internet; savvier hackers and data thieves might even be able to gain entry to your computer and access important files. The good news is that there are a few things you can do to minimize your risk on the wireless Web. Take the following precautions each time you surf the Internet on an unsecured public network, and you’re very likely to sidestep the vast majority of threats.
1.
Install and use firewall and antivirus software.
When you’re surfing the Web from your nonprofit’s offices, your computer is more than likely protected from threats by a centralized firewall — a piece of hardware or software that blocks potentially harmful traffic traveling between the network and the Internet. Most public hotspots, however, fail to include this protective barrier; even if a hotspot does happen to have a firewall set up, it won’t protect you from hackers who are also using the access point. Therefore, make sure you have a personal firewall up and running before you log in at the airport or the hotel lobby. Free personal firewalls include Zone Alarm Free and Jetico Personal Firewall. Top Ten Reviews’ article Firewall Software Review explores several other options worth considering. Since the majority of public hotspots also lack antiviral protection, there’s the possibility that other users could unknowingly (or intentionally) unleash a virus on the wireless network. For this reason, you’ll also want to have a good antivirus program running on your laptop any time you surf the Web from an open hotspot. If your nonprofit already has antivirus software running on its network, check with your IT staff or volunteers to see if they can install this program on your local machine. If your organization currently lacks a centralized antivirus solution, you should install a program on your machine and leave it running at all times. While most antivirus programs — such as Norton AntiVirus (available for $15 from TechSoup Stock) and McAfee VirusScan Plus — cost money, you do have a number of free options, including Grisoft AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition and ClamWin Free Antivirus.
2.
Use a VPN whenever possible.
A virtual private network (VPN) allows users working from a remote machine to access resources on a private computer network, such as an organization’s intranet. A VPN is essentially a secure tunnel through the Internet, from the user’s machine to the private network, in which all information is encrypted so that would-be snoopers can’t get at it. If your organization’s IT director has set up its network for use with VPNs, it’s best to log in through your VPN client when surfing the Web at an unsecured spot. But if you plan to send sensitive information to the Web over the VPN, you should still check with the IT department to make sure that the client provides a high enough level of security to protect your data. If your nonprofit does not currently have a VPN solution in place, you can subscribe to a service such as World Secure Channel, which creates a secure environment using the VPN features that are built into Windows or Macintosh operating systems. But don’t let your guard down: No matter which VPN method you use, it’s still a smart idea to keep your firewall and antiviral software running at all times.
3.
Take care when entering sensitive data on a Web site.
When using a hotspot, the only foolproof way to ensure that your organization’s sensitive data stays private is to avoid sending it into cyberspace altogether. If you need to transfer funds using online banking or make a virtual purchase with your nonprofit’s credit card, it’s always best to wait until you’re back on a network that you know is secure. Still, if an emergency arises and you absolutely must deal with private data at a public hotspot, make sure you’re using a secure Web site that encrypts the information. Secure sites begin in “https” (instead of “http”) and generally display a lock icon in the lower-right corner of the browser window. Note that while many financial institutions and e-commerce sites secure all aspects of the transactions, some sites only encrypt part of the exchange. For example, while Web-based email services such as Yahoo Mail and Gmail encrypt your password by logging you in from an https site, your inbox is available from a nonsecure http site, meaning that others on the hotspot might be able to access your messages.
4.
Encrypt emails and documents.
As previously mentioned, most Web-based email services only encrypt your password and do not protect your actual inbox. Therefore, it’s unwise to use these services to send or receive confidential emails when working from a public hotspot. (Indeed, it’s unwise to use these services to send highly confidential messages from anywhere, unless you’re confident in the privacy and email retention policies of the companies offering the services.) However, newer versions of Microsoft Outlook provide a built-in email encryption feature, which is accessible by clicking the Tools menu item, selecting Options, and browsing to the Security tab. One way to encrypt Outlook email is to install version 7.0.3 of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), a free encryption platform that was open-source. For step-by-step instructions on installing and configuring PGP, read Datateknik’s article Email Encryption for the Lazy. If you don’t want to bother with installing and configuring software, you can also encrypt Outlook email by purchasing your own digital certificate, a small file that proves your identity. If you decide to buy a digital certificate and don’t have a lot of software experience, you will probably want to ask your IT staff to help you install and configure. However, before you buy a certificate, first check with your organization’s IT staff; they may have already set up a system that distributes digital certificates to individual users on the network. If your laptop contains files with sensitive information, you might also choose to encrypt individual documents or entire folders. While you should definitely disable all shared folders when using a hotspot, you might also want to secure confidential data using a dedicated encryption utility such as Jetico BCArchive or TrueCrypt, both of which are free.
5.
Look out for fraudulent hotspots.
Another potential danger when using public wireless networks are so-called “evil twins,” hotspots set up by hackers to collect personal information. A data thief may do this by setting up an open hotspot near a valid one or by simply configuring his or her laptop to transmit a wireless signal. When nearby users check the list of available connections, they’ll also see the evil twin. If a users happen to log in to this fraudulent access point, the hacker can track their Internet travels and emails and might be able to access private data they send across the Web, including credit card numbers. In order to make sure you steer clear of evil twins, it’s always a smart idea to try to find an employee at the coffee shop, hotel, or airport to verify the name of the legitimate hotspot. Also, some wireless laptops are configured by default to automatically connect to the nearest or strongest signal; you might consider disabling this feature to avoid inadvertently logging in to fraudulent hotspot. Using a public hotspot doesn’t have to mean sacrificing security for convenience. So next time you hit the wireless Web, remember to take the proper preventative measures; you’ll spend less time fretting about your private data and more time making positive things happen for your organization.
