Wireless Broadband Internet from a WiFi Hot Spot

Hot Spot Security: Be Safe Out There

Okay. You’ve done your research and located your broadband Wi-Fi Internet hot spot (area where a computer or PDA equipped with a WLAN module can connect to the Internet through Wireless Access Points) or you’ve used your finder and wandered into a local coffee shop or bookstore. Fire her up and zoom off on the information superhighway, right?

Safety first. Remember it’s a highway and there are highwaymen abroad. Well, not exactly, but there are hackers and crackers and identity thieves and rogues aplenty. Don't ignore security and give your confidential information away.

Do what you can to keep prying eyes from your keyboard and screen. There's no reason to let anyone piggyback on your account using your password or steal your credit card number just because they watched your fingers do the walking or snuck a peak at your screen. (Speaking of passwords, on an even more basic level, use a complex password to protect all your data from laptop hijackers.)

Make sure you disable file sharing. It might be great for the home and good at the office but it spells trouble in the broadband Internet urban jungle.

Most of the reasons for using a firewall are obvious, but you'll especially want to be alerted of any abnormal traffic coming or going or unusual communication between applications.

Evil Twins, aka 'Rogue Hotspots' are the Wi-Fi hotversion of e-mail Phishing to jam and mimic the signal and SSID of a legitimate hotspot, collect usernames, passwords and credit card numbers, and intercept unencrypted traffic.

Some reasonable precautions:

• Don't set your Wi-Fi card to allow automatic connection to any available network.
• Check the list of available SSIDs to make sure you're connecting to the right one.
• Turn off the ad-hoc mode allowing other clients to connect directly to you.
• Turn off your Wi-Fi card entirely as soon as you're finished.
• Use some flavor of broadband wireless intrusion detection system.
• Although a firewall won't keep you from connecting to an 'Evil Twin,' it will help to safeguard your information in the event that you do.
• When sending e-mail, use your ISP's Web interface, which should protect your data during transmission. When sending large files, use a compression program to reduce the size of the file and encrypt it. Finally, use a free encryption program like Cryptainer LE to protect your files in case your laptop is stolen or compromised.
• Use a virtual private network (VPN). It’s a secure conduit between your laptop and your company's network.
• Use and update an antivirus program. When you're using a public hotspot it's more important than ever to have antivirus software installed.