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It's become really common for people to use computers remotely - away from their homes. You might log onto the Internet in a library, at an airport, in hotels or at any of the many other spots where you can get wireless Internet access. Unfortunately using a public Internet connection can be a pretty dangerous thing to do - they're not always very secure. To protect personal information when you’re on the go, follow these few tips: Most e-mail software will let you forward your e-mail from one account to another; it’s similar to how you might forward your phone calls. Take advantage of this feature to enhance your security when you're on the go by not logging into your main mail account. If you're going to be out of town for a few days but you're not using your regular desktop computer and you're not bringing your laptop with you, try to forward your e-mail to an account that you've set up specifically for this trip. There are plenty of disposable e-mail addresses you can get for free to help with this. So even if worst comes to worst the bad guys will only get access to an e-mail account with forwarded mail in it and it's set to self-destruct anyway so they're wasting their time. Obviously this means it's important to be careful that no extremely sensitive information is forwarded to that mail account - just in case. If you log onto a computer in a public place and you need to use a password, change it the first time you do so and use that password for the duration of your trip. Once you get home, change it back to your regular password. This will limit your exposure to any security risks. Computers in public places can sometimes contain ‘key logger’ spyware that records every keystroke you make. It can collect your password and collect any other information that you type in during your session on the computer. This means that if you're not using your home computer or a secured computer, you should avoid making any purchases online with a credit card and avoid logging into your online banking and credit card accounts. Before you visit a site that requires you to input a password, member number, or ID, disable the ‘auto complete’ feature that will put in your password for you or complete your user id for you. If it's practical, stay away from sites you don’t normally visit while you're away from your home computer. Because most online hackers come from auto downloads of viruses and spyware, few of the sites that you regularly visit when you're at home are likely to have those. But just like you would avoid talking to suspect locals while out of town or out of the country, you should also avoid dicey websites that could contain spyware or worse. If it's possible, when you're done using the public computer erase any cookies, temporary Internet files, or any other information that the computer has collected during your web browsing. This helps to protect you but it also makes a better session for the next person who uses the computer. You might not be able to do this because the administrators of the public computer you're using may have blocked access to this feature - for legitimate security reasons. It should go without saying that you should not leave any downloaded files on the computer that you have used and make sure that no one is looking over your shoulder while you're typing a password or login information or any other sensitive information (called shoulder surfing by the conmen). Use a little bit of commonsense when you're away from home and you'll be sure to protect your identity and any other personal information. Using public networks is a dangerous game and in some countries you'd want to be mental to even think of using a public wireless hotspot. We can help you with some Internet safety tips that you can use when you have to use somebody elses Internet connection. More info now @ www.cpusecurity.com
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wireless networking, public networks, network security, wi-fi,
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