Our advice is to be very cautious when using free or inexpensive Wi-Fi connections at many hotels. Most big chain hotel provide connections for free but little expertise is employed to install, protect and monitor these publicly available Wi-Fi connections.
So, before you take a chance and trust a hotel’s Wi-Fi service, make sure you take these precautionary steps: Set up your own good defenses. Firstly, turn on your computer's firewall and a use a strong antivirus software to provide a first line of defense. Your firewall acts to permit or deny traffic to and from your computer.
If you're using Windows:
1.- Click on the START menu, then click on the control panel. Click on security center (look for the multi-colored shield). A green indicator means your firewall is on.
If you use a Mac, open System Preferences and click Sharing, then click Firewall.
2.- Make sure your security software is updated and run daily scans while you’re traveling. Be careful to connect to the correct network. Often, free hotel Wi-Fi requires a password or reference number that is provided to you by the hotel upon check-in. Make sure you're indeed connecting to the hotel's Wi-Fi and not an look a-like with a connection designed to trick you, then gather your information for possible identity theft or other mischief. These look-alike sites can use a name similar to the hotel’s name, so ask at the front desk if you're confused before you log on.
3.- Avoid file-sharing. Steer clear of file-sharing sites such as Limewire and Morpheus, which offer free downloads of software and pictures-videos. File-sharing sites can leave your computer vulnerable to malicious attacks, such as viruses or spyware. Avoid doing things where you can connect two computers to talk to each other, such as Skype & MSN/Live.
4.- Disconnect when not in use. Minimize your risks by disconnecting from the network when you're not actively using the Wi-Fi. Avoid financial transactions, such as accessing your bank account from the free Wi-Fi connection. If you must conduct financial business online, make sure the site is protected through "https," a protocol that provides a secure connection. A secure website will have the "https" rather than "http" in the web address and a lock symbol in the bottom right corner.
5.- Use a VPN. If you're traveling for work, ask if your company uses a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN is a computer network that provides employees with remote access to company servers. These networks use data-scrambling technologies which ensure secure access to company data through an Internet connection. In a VPN, your online activity will be encrypted so that the bad guys can't see what you're doing.
6.- Change passwords frequently. Malicious types are often "sniffing" or looking for password information over unsecured networks. You might not think it's a big deal if someone grabs your user ID and password for Facebook. We tend to use and save the same passwords and user IDs for many online activities. Too often, we use the same password for Facebook as we do for our online banking. Most of us aren't going to remember multiple passwords, but we should be able to keep track of changing passwords.
If you follow these steps, you can connect to those hotel/ Cafe Wi-Fi sites with less worries. Stay away from searches and sites that you would not visit at home. You are even more exposed while on the road since you have to pony up even more id. If not, you can just bet everything you do or type in will be monitored and yes, sold to the highest bidder.
See more on Public/ Airport hot spots.
Case in Point
Jun 22, 2010- UK Police investigate breach in privacy of Public wi-fi connections.
Opens an investigation into whether Google violated communication and privacy laws by gathering data over public wi-fi networks.
Police said it was looking into complaints that the search engine picked up people's online activities through unprotected hotel, home and business networks while photographing neighborhoods for its "Street View" mapping.
It is the latest in a string of controversies about Google's access to private data including e-mail addresses, passwords, bank account information and web browsing histories.
Google said it had mistakenly collected data from public wi-fi networks in more than 30 countries.
The company sought to reassure critics that it did not misuse the data & that any personal information that it collected was "not used to identify any specific individual or household."
Comment:
Come on Google get a grip. But not on me!
