Threats From Public Networks

[GioChavchanidze]

Hi,

Can somebody tell me what are the threats from public networks and exactly in what aspects should I be careful?

Thanks in Advance!

 

[Magron]

The threat is to your computer if you're accessing wifi in a hotel or other public place/network.
You need to have correct security settings and security software implemented or the person sitting right next to you could be looking at your hard drive.
Sometimes people will even bring in their own 'hot spot' or something and set up a faux 'public network'.

 

[brady]

quick read: common issues and solutions to open networks.
Securing Wireless Network

 

[GioChavchanidze]

Thanks for the information.

As for the security, are Antivirus and Firewall Programs strong enough in this case to feel safe and protected?

 

[brady]

it's all relative, to be honest. Safety is a state of mind; if you're not out there clicking random links or opening random emails from people, you'll be just fine.

 

[GioChavchanidze]

Thanks. Nevertheless, does the owner of a public network have a chance to see my passwords that are entered during the usage of that very network?

 

[Wicca]

no they cannot

 

[GioChavchanidze]

Even when surfing via mobile?

 

[n4aof]

As for the security, are Antivirus and Firewall Programs strong enough in this case to feel safe and protected?

That depends on how safe you need to feel and what you want to be protected.

If you are not doing anything dangerous (more later) and you are not worried about a stranger reading everything you send and receive online, and you are not worried about a stranger seeing everything on your hard drive, then a good quality, up-to-date, antivirus program and firewall are fine.

Things to NOT do over a public network:
1) Anything involving your credit cards or bank accounts unless sent to a secure (https) website;
2) Anything where you need to log in with a User ID and password unless sent to a secure (https) website;
3) Anything you would not want everyone to know you did.

Any time you are on a public network, act as if your screen was being shown on a ten-foot TV screen over your head.

A properly configured firewall can keep out most threats, but having a firewall configured to keep out really sophisticated threats makes your computer a pain to use so the default settings try to strike a balance between usability and security. That balance is generally pretty good unless you have some really critical data on your laptop - in which case, you ought to have the entire drive encrypted and you probably shouldn't be using a public network anyway.

 

[n4aof]

Thanks. Nevertheless, does the owner of a public network have a chance to see my passwords that are entered during the usage of that very network?

If you are connected to a secure (https) website, generally not -- if you are connected to a unsecure (http) website, definately yes.

Even the strongest encryption can be cracked if someone puts enough time and effort into cracking it, but ordinary 128-bit (or better) encryption is good enough unless you happen to be exchanging nuclear launch codes or the account numbers to your billion dollar swiss bank accounts.

 

[GioChavchanidze]

Thank you so much

But, one more question: how do I get to know the website uses http connection? Is that the icon on the left side of the address bar that shows whether the website is encrypted or not?(In Google Chrome at least)

And if that is right, Amazon does not seem to be using Secure Connection, does it? Or may be there is a way to switch to one.

P.S. Are all these things same for mobile phones?

 

[James Colbert]

Look for https in the address bar (minus underline and bold blue). Some browsers display a padlock in the address or status bar.

The thing with wireless is that there is no such thing as 'totally secure'. If someone really wants to, they can capture and analyze outbound packets. The more secure you are, the less likely they are to make the effort. As was earlier mentioned, transmitting sensitive data over a wireless network (especially public) should be avoided.

You can also increase security by turning off shared folders when on public.

 

[GioChavchanidze]

Is not the Wireless Network totally secure, even if you own it and set a good password for it?(Home Conditions)

And the mobiles phones mentioned in the previous post?