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Anytime you log into a public place the odds are great that someone else is looking at your info. It’s no secret that public wi-fi is not secure so you must protect yourself in order to keep your data private. All of your traffic is sent in the “clear” meaning that it is readeable in plain text. Anyone armed with “sniffable” software can see your data in real time while you are checking your email. The software can record your usernames, passwords, credit card numbers and copy any files sent to your computer. You may think that your firewall is enough protection. It may help stop some network attacks  but it won’t stop your outgoing traffic from being observed.  

In order to protect yourself against this type of spying you will need a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN as its name indicates is a private network that encrypts your data as it leaves your laptop. Your encrypted data is sent to the ISP who then sends your data unto the Internet.  You don’t need to install any software or add any hardware.  If your company uses a VPN, you should use your VPN client to log into your corporate network. This way your traffic will be protected as your laptop goes to your business VPN and from there to the Internet. If you don’t have access to a corporate VPN, you can get one from many ISP’s. It takes minutes to configure and you’re protected from hackers while online. To find ISP’s that cater to the individual user,  do a search by entering the text VPN and hotshot.

Now that your laptop is protected, you should also protect other mobile devices such as your Palm, iPhone and other devices that use wi-fi.

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