Sadly, there are bad people out in the world and the virtual world. Many coffee shops and bars offer free (read:unencrypted) WiFi to their patrons. This service is very convienent and fun; hey, who wants to work in an office setting when you could be hoisting a frothy beverage (coffee or beer, your choice) in the comfortable setting with your laptop and a few friends???
The problem is, no one believes there is a bad person lurking at a coffee shop, just waiting for you to enter your domain username and password to access corporate email/intranet/eBay/PayPal/Hotmail/your bank...
Are you protecting yourself and your company? I ran across an article titled How to protect yourself at wireless hot spots which offers some simple tips and techniques on protecting your data. Here are the highlights from this article:
1. Disable ad-hoc mode -- PLEASE PLEASE do this; it is so simple and the cost of using ad-hoc mode far outweigh the benefits from a security standpoint.
2. File Sharing -- many people doen't even know much about this, so if you don't know how to use it, reduce your attack surface and TURN IT OFF! Even if you think you know how to use it, make sure you are only sharing what you intend to share with the world. I know, your mom always told you to share, but if she would have known about unencrypted WiFi, she would have put on the disclaimer!!! :)
3. Turn off network discovery (Vista only) - I have not fired up Vista yet, so I have nothing intelligent to add here....
4. Carry an encrypted USB flash drive - I like this one; I don't own one of these yet, but suspect I will be picking one up very soon; not so much for storing my OS on it, but strictly for data...
5. Protect yourself with a virtual private network - VPN == goodness; 'nuff said
6. Disable your wireless adapter - ok, this maybe is not a reality, but it *IS* a possibility
7. Watch out for shoulder surfers - The security mantra of "Social engineering trumps most security systems" applies here!
Happy new year and 'safe' surfing!!
jk
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