If you can use your company's "virtual private network," or VPN, you can feel fairly safe when using open Wi-Fi at a cafe. VPNs create secure "tunnels," in which all online communication is encrypted at both ends. But simply using a top security suite from Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro or others won't protect you in a cafe situation.
For the modern nomadic worker, few things are more enjoyable than heading to a cafe, ordering a cappuccino and firing up the laptop to get some work done. As far as anyone you're e-mailing knows, you're at the office.
Unfortunately, few things expose your work to greater security risks than latching onto a public Wi-Fi service. Most people don't realize the risks, and even fewer have the ability to perform the geeky tasks that would fix it.
Computer criminals can "sniff" the traffic in a cafe, or set up a fake hot spot that you might innocently log into. When that happens, watch out: Everything you type goes directly to the host computer, known as an "evil twin." In that scenario, as soon as you get into your online bank account, the evil twin is ready to grab the password.
The best advice for avoiding those situations is to tap only into wireless connections that you trust. Be wary of connections with names such as "free public wifi." Ask at the cafe for the name of its network. Even then, be aware that someone sitting next to you could have set up a network with the same name, such as "Starbucks," that you could tap into unwittingly.
Most security-savvy travelers assume the worst and don't do anything that could cause trouble if it fell into the wrong hands.
"Every packet that goes out over the Internet is observable" by a tech-savvy hacker.
For the modern nomadic worker, few things are more enjoyable than heading to a cafe, ordering a cappuccino and firing up the laptop to get some work done. As far as anyone you're e-mailing knows, you're at the office.
Unfortunately, few things expose your work to greater security risks than latching onto a public Wi-Fi service. Most people don't realize the risks, and even fewer have the ability to perform the geeky tasks that would fix it.
Computer criminals can "sniff" the traffic in a cafe, or set up a fake hot spot that you might innocently log into. When that happens, watch out: Everything you type goes directly to the host computer, known as an "evil twin." In that scenario, as soon as you get into your online bank account, the evil twin is ready to grab the password.
The best advice for avoiding those situations is to tap only into wireless connections that you trust. Be wary of connections with names such as "free public wifi." Ask at the cafe for the name of its network. Even then, be aware that someone sitting next to you could have set up a network with the same name, such as "Starbucks," that you could tap into unwittingly.
Most security-savvy travelers assume the worst and don't do anything that could cause trouble if it fell into the wrong hands.
"Every packet that goes out over the Internet is observable" by a tech-savvy hacker.