TMCnet News
Privacy and security could be at risk when using wi-fi [Cape Argus (South Africa)](Cape Argus (South Africa) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Wi-fi hotspots - zones that offer free wireless internet connections - are difficult to avoid, popping up in cafés, airports and train stations. Users should, however, take some precautions to protect their personal data. "Every time I use wi-fi, I have to ask myself who's behind it," says Frank Timmermann of the Institute for Internet Security at Germany's Westphalian University of Applied Sciences. "That's because I'm just connecting myself with an access point that uses a given name and a Mac address." The problem with that relative simplicity is that any router owner can pick any name for his network. A network that sounds like it's run by a city authority might just be a private one. And that someone could be a person capturing data traffic for his own ends. That risk is one good reason to send only information with encrypted connections, which can be recognised by a web address that begins with "https" and which have a padlock icon in the address bar. But that's not always an option. Apps don't offer this kind of security. The same problems can pop up in your home network. While data on a public network can be snatched before it reaches the router, any information sent to any router - even your own - can't have its safety guaranteed once the router sends it on. "I don't know what comes after the router, who's sitting on the line," says Timmermann. Another problem with a public wi-fi network is that other users can take advantage of it to attack other computers. That means leaving drives and files unprotected - convenient when working in your home network - should not be an option when out and about. "Your computer should be set up for basic protection anyway, with a virus scanner," Timmermann advises. Check the terms of any open network you use. Some are only accessible once users give up personal information, but that can be risky. - Sapa-dpa Cape Argus (c) 2013 Independent Newspapers (Pty) Limited. All rights strictly reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |