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Wireless Networks May Pose Security Threat
By Eva Gibson

Wireless technology in recent years has made it possible for people to take their work on the road, logging on and surfing the internet, engaging in IM chats, checking email, and even trading stocks online while in transit. Coffee shops with Wi-Fi have become magnets for laptop-bearing customers, who are able to have their coffee while reading the news, updating their blogs, or finishing some last-minute homework. Seattle itself, ahead of San Francisco and New York, is third on the Forbes list of America’s Most Wired Cities, which factors the percentage of Internet users with high-speed access, the range of service providers within a city, and the availability of public wireless hotspots.

While the capability to connect to a wireless internet is an undeniable convenience and has allowed countless urbanites the opportunity to traverse the internet at will, driver flaws in the software responsible for running wireless-networking hardware could leave a laptop using Wi-Fi vulnerable to attackers. The attacker would have to be within range of the network, but given the opportunity, it is very possible for an attacker within the same Wi-Fi hotspot to break into your computer and gain control over it. Add to that the fact that hotspots are open networks that don't use encryption, and it’s nearly an open invitation for hackers and electronic prowlers.

Some ways you can protect your laptop in a hotspot include:

  1. Don’t connect to networks that you do not trust.
  2. Disable your laptop’s wireless adapter when you’re not using it.
  3. Use a wireless Virtual Private Network (VPN) to encrypt your information, or it could very easily be seen by others.
  4. Use an encrypted USB flash drive.
  5. Use email software that includes encryption features.
  6. Install a firewall and turn off file sharing options.
  7. Disable the Wi-Fi ad-hoc mode, which allows you to connect to another PC, so that no one can connect to yours.
  8. Use common sense. Don’t leave your laptop alone in a public place and make sure strangers aren’t peeking at your screen or keyboard as you type.

Using your machine in public means treating it as if the world were watching—which, if you’re not protected, may just be the case. Don’t feel you have to give up those afternoons in the coffeehouse altogether, just be aware of the precautions you need to take in a wireless environment to keep prying eyes off your laptop.

http://home.stopsign.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eva_Gibson

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