More Laptop Security Tips
Blizzard Associate | 11 July 2006 |
As an addition to my post earlier today, I’d like to offer these tips for protecting laptops while on the road, taken from a recent Expedia Corporate Travel Newsletter.
While some of this information duplicates what’s found in the CNNMoney.com article, you’ll find some fresh ideas, too:
Security Architect Brian Harden and several other in-house security gurus offered the following tips for keeping a secure connection on the road, and ensuring that what is seen is for your eyes only (and not some fedora-wearing corporate spy in the adjacent parking lot or club chair).
- Make sure it’s actually the hotel network to which you’re connecting. WiFi density is so high in some areas that you have to be cautious. Just because you are in a hotel room, doesn’t mean that the hotel network is the only one that can be seen.
- Keep your anti-virus software and patches up-to-date and firewall enabled. Disable file and printer sharing, likely the easiest way to compromise a remote user. Look for WEP (wireless encryption protocol) or WPA (WiFi protected access) when connecting. If you open the tool to view available wireless networks, it will say unsecured if it is not encrypted. Using WEP (encryption) gives you a reasonable amount of protection from someone just reading the signal out of the air.
- Tell your computer to NOT auto connect to wireless access points that are listed as ‘unsecure’. A common method of compromise is to establish a fake access point. Users with this feature turned off will automatically associate to your fake access point. You can even provide real internet access, but monitor all of their traffic. Or, if the user automatically associated to you, you can browse their shares without them even realizing.
- When using a hotel network, establish a VPN connection to route your traffic through. The VPN client disables what they call ’split tunneling’, which is the ability for your machine to connect to two or more networks at the same time. By establishing a VPN connection, no one else on the hotel network can see your traffic or connect to you.
Anyone who’s encountered problems with an unsecure network will tell you that it’s worth making an effort to protect yourself.
Read even more about travelers’ concerns about Wi-Fi safety at http://www.www.vnunet.com/2154653.
Elizabeth Malloy - Blizzard Internet Marketing, Inc.
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August 22nd, 2006 at 12:47 pm
“Make sure it’s actually the hotel network to which you’re connecting. WiFi density is so high in some areas that you have to be cautious”
This really is something that people need to pay attention to. If in doubt just ask you wireless device to look for all available networks. I know within my own home I can see no less than 3 other wireless networks in addition to my own! That being said there a lot to be said about encrypting your files. I currently use Digital Vault to not only secure sensitive files on my system but I also encrypt my shared folders. This way as long as I have it “locked” I know that I’m safe.
February 14th, 2007 at 7:44 am
Very reasonable tips - security first.
I add a link to that page in my blog in [url=http://www.hostbazar.info/category/internet-security/]Internet security[/url] category.
2Henry: “I know that I’m safe” - perhaps most critical security problem. ;)
June 28th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Some great tips there.
I supppose if in doubt, disable your wireless adaptor and use the hard wired UTP conection that many hotels have in rooms these days.