Need to connect to a third party
or unknown WIFI locations ? Do you really know what your
connecting to ? What risks are there ? , think your PC is secure
Need to connect
to a third party or unknown WIFI locations ? Do you really know
what your connecting to ? What risks are there ? , think your pc
is secure ?
There are a
number of Computer and Wireless scams around today and
unfortunately they are all aimed at you and your wallet.
The most common of
these is the shared WIFI connection SCAM.
What basically
happens is someone with a Laptop connects to third party WIFI
locations, they then share the Internet connection and wait.
People then come along and try to connect to the these WIFI
locations.
The only problem is,
which network will they connect to ?. Generally it will be the
Network with the strongest signal, so this would mean the shared
bogus network.
After connecting you
are asked for payment details, then you are basically giving
your credit card details away.
Once you’ve done this
you are allowed to access the internet from the bogus network,
everything seems as normal, you can access the web, even get
your email. But while you are doing this, the guy running the
bogus network is also browsing, buying things on your credit
card.
You just had a very expensive internet session.
Need to install a WIFI network ? , what is
a WIFI network, what equipment do you need
Got a wireless network at home ? , is it protected ? , if not
you could have big problems.
If your WIFI network
has no protection anyone can basically connect to it, from here
they can view any material dubious or otherwise on the web, and
as far as your ISP is concerned that’s you browsing it.
If your Modem or
Router is not protected anyone can connect and then add a
password and stop you connecting or administering your own
hardware.
Checkout our WIFI help page where we cover
security
If anyone manages to connect to your WIFI network and they also
administer your router, they can then also see which other
devices are connected, any computers are now exposed, from here
any protection offered by the router is useless as the intruder
is on your local network. From here it’s entirely down to the
amount of protection your computer has.
If you need a hand to implement pc
security checkout our security pages
Simple rules when connecting to unknown WIFI locations , never
ever give out confidential information, such as credit card
details.
Not everyone on the
web is out to scam you, but it only takes one such individual to
give you a real bad day.
Make sure your pc has
security, plus a decent firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware
software. ( checkout our help pages for more on this )
So how can you
reduce the risks of this happening to you ?
Be cautious when
connecting to any unknown WIFI locations , ask the name of the
network, and verify this is the one you are connecting to, you
can by check this by looking at available and connected WIFI
networks from your computer.
Make sure when providing credit cards details or logging onto
any confidential sites, that the website/page is secure, usually
the page will begin with HTTPS, most scam sites are not secure,
this can be a basic indicator of a scam.
If in doubt simply
don’t connect to any WIFI networks, try to find a hard wired
connection instead.
It’s always good to
register with a WIFI provider before you leave home, check on
the web to find local hotspots in the area you’ll be visiting,
then you may be able to setup an account before hand. So you
won't have to give any bank card details as you'll already be
registered.
Lastly, although this
is not a WIFI scam, travelling with a laptop can make you a
target, to have a laptop worth in excess of $2,000 means that a
some people would love to get their hands on your laptop by any
means.
This was highlighted
to me when visiting Brazil, well known groups of individuals
were stealing laptops from people at airports, they would simply
either just walk up and take it while the person was busy at an
info desk, or distract the person while someone else walked away
with it, this happens everywhere.
So NEVER take your
eyes off your laptop, even if you have to put it through an
airport x-ray machine, " simply make sure there is no one in
front of you, which could prevent you from seeing the laptop all
the time".
A laptop case is
generally easy to recognize, so changing the case to something a
little less obvious will help, apart from that also make sure
you keep hold of it all the time, never put it down, use the
shoulder strap if you have no free hands.
So in a nutshell it
really pays to make sure that you are aware when connecting to
unknown WIFI locations, it is by no means a common occurrence,
but unfortunately computer crime / scams are on the increase,
everyone should be aware. Need to find WIFI locations / networks
? why not purchase a WIFI finder, they are cheap and make
looking for a network a synch, some can even tell you which
networks are protected and which are not, plus network name etc
, very useful for checking a WIFI network before you connect.
Click on the Image to
find out more about WIFI finders
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