Today, I’m bringing you Tips for Travel and Using Wireless because I ran across this information and I know that many of you reading this go on vacation this month. The information that came to me is valuable, so I’m sharing!
AFAR sent me an article, that perked the interest for me blogging about it. I’m going to basically summarize it for you here, with their help.
Ok. Let’s continue with some solutions and stories of what can possibly go wrong:
Keith Waldorf, VP of Engineering at iPass, tells this story as a cautionary tale for all Wi-Fi users. iPass is a global hot-spot service based in Silicon Valley that provides secure networks for businesses around the world.“Say you’re in a Starbucks,” says Waldorf, “And you see a wireless network named ‘Starbucks.’ You hit connect and it takes you to a login page where you enter some personal information like your email address and phone number. Of course, you’re not going to question it because the name seems legitimate, and you’re in a popular public spot.” Despite its friendly name, there’s a chance that it’s a hacker broadcasting his or her own signal.
Like MitM and side-jacking attacks, (did I even hear about this before or know what they are referring to?) this “evil twin” connection gives hackers access to a slew of sensitive personal information.
But you don’t have to play victim here. You can read these helpful hints and remember them when you travel or even if you are just going to Starbucks:
- Turn off your device’s automatic Wi-Fi connectivity when it’s not actively in use. This way, you will avoid joining sketchy public networks without your knowledge.
- Once you do join a network, verify it. Do not just connect to the one called “Hyatt Shanghai 123” because you’re in the Hyatt and it’s unlocked and available.
- Ask your hotel concierge to confirm the name and password before taking any action.
- In terms of active browsing, you should avoid making any sort of transaction that involves credit card information over a public network. However, if you need to check your statements or make a reservation on the go, either use the bank’s mobile app (most have them, these days), or simply type the site’s address directly into your browser.
- In fact, for any well-known site where a login is required, skip the search engines.
- For many transactional webpages, you’ll know that you’re on at a properly encrypted website if the browser begins with https, rather than the standard http.
Now I think you will agree that some of this information has merit and in my case, I really had not thought about being untrusting in a hotel about a link that has the hotel’s name in it. I also did not know how to tell if something is properly encrypted and to be trusted or not.
And I will say that I am amazed that there are even names for the type of theft being committed in our ignorance. I really found this article very helpful. You just have to make sure you stay empowered, and not get freaked out by the possibilities.
“The best thing you can do is use a network encryption service, which, in its simplest form, hides your activity from any potential hackers on the same network. You can and should subscribe to a VPN service, which reroutes your activity to a known, secure wireless hot spot.
There are a dizzying amount of options to choose from, but Hotspot Shield has a highly rated mobile and desktop app, as does VPN Unlimited”.
Hope this brings value and safety to you and yours! Enjoy the rest of your summer, safely!
Happy Healthy Eating and Travel,
