Security Issues Involved When Using Connecting to Wi-Fi Hotspots

The availability of Wi-Fi hotspots in major cities in the
world has made laptops and even Wi-Fi-enabled mobile phones
and PDAs truly mobile computers.

People who are always on the go such as business travellers
benefit from this because they can access their e-mail and
other information from any place where these hotspots are
available.

However, in spite of the convenience that Wi-Fi brings,
there is also a risk involved in using it.

Most Wi-Fi hotspots are unsecure. Because of this, data
that are sent through these wireless networks can be read
by anyone on the network who has the right tools.

Packet sniffers are a good example of such a tool. Unsecure
networks are also called ‘poisoned hotspots’ because of the
penchant of hackers and identity thieves for stealing other
people’s sensitive information.

The good thing is that there are several ways that users
can do to protect themselves. One security measure is by
turning off file sharing in the computer before connecting
to a hotspot.

This prevents other users to see what is in your shared
folder and mess with it. Another measure is by turning on
their computer’s personal firewall. They basically help
restrict traffic to and from their computers.

This is an important tool that people shouldn’t go without.
There are a number of good free firewalls out there which
why there’s no reason for users to not protect themselves.

Finally, if one is in a hotspot but he/she doesn’t want to
connect to the network, it would be good to disable their
wireless adapter. This helps prevent people from
unwittingly sending out data that others may sniff.

There are other ways that people can do to protect
themselves in Wi-Fi hotspots along with the ones mentioned
above. Check them out and have a more secure hotspot
experience.
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