Or, better still, with an unlimited data plan from your telco you can just skip the wifi and stay with your telco.
I've been doing this at conferences I attend. I have a lot less trouble than my colleagues who are struggling with conference wifi and its vagaries. Janina M. Taylor writes: > One mistake people make using public Wi-Fi Kim Komando , Special for USA > TODAY > Modern Greyhound buses offer free WiFi, a feature the company hopes will > attract younger travelers. (Photo: Greyhound) If I've said it once, I've > said it a thousand times: Avoid doing anything you would not want anyone in > the world to know on public Wi-Fi. You may think you're safe in that busy > café or big-name hotel, but public Wi-Fi is a major liability. It doesn't > matter how safe the connection seems to be; your computer is vulnerable to > hackers because you have no idea who is really in charge of that router or > who has access to it and all the data that passes through it. Knowledge is > power. Learn how crooks attack your computer on public Wi-Fi. There are lots > of ways to protect yourself, of course. Your best defense is a virtual > private network (VPN), which can prevent nosy strangers from snooping on > your browser. You can also employ the usual firewalls and antivirus software > to defend your computer from hackers and malware. Learn more about VPNs and > safe browsing on public WiFi. Even the best security systems have their > weaknesses, and you have likely never heard of this one: File sharing on a > public network can expose your computer to data thieves. This is a scary > problem because you may not even realize that you're sharing files. But if > your computer is on the wrong setting, you may attract any number of > cyber-criminals. So how do you make sure your computer isn't leaking > information by accident? File sharing is very handy, especially for groups > of people. Whether you're using iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Drive, file > sharing allows a large team to work on a single project at once, or families > to browse digital photo albums, or data specialists to organize large > batches of information. This is very convenient, as long as you're on your > own secure network. But if you're sharing files on public Wi-Fi, your > folders may be accessible to anyone connected to the same public network. In > other words, file sharing automatically exposes your computer and everything > you intend to share. Your vacation photos may end up in the wrong hands, and > so could your contracts, spreadsheets, and tax information. In fact, you > don't have to be a hacker to take advantage of shared folders. Anyone who > looks around their network folders can instantly run a search and find > unguarded files. It works the other way around too. An attacker can also set > up a shared folder with malicious files. You may stumble into the mysterious > folder and think, "Wait a minute, where did this come from? Then you click > on it, releasing the malware onto the desktop. There are other ways you can > get into trouble. Learn how to avoid getting hacked on the road. Want to > ensure your privacy? Make sure to turn off file sharing before you connect > to public WiFi. Here's how to do it: 1. Search for "Control Panel" then > click on the best match to open it. 2. Under "Network and Internet," click > on "View network status and tasks. 3. On the next page, click "Change > advanced sharing settings. 4. Under "File and printer sharing," tick off > "Turn off file and printer sharing. 5. To prevent network snoopers from > seeing your computer, tick off "Turn off network discovery" too. 6. Save > changes. 1. Open your Mac's System Preferences (the gear icon on your dock). > 2. Click on the "Sharing" icon. 3. On the next "Sharing Page," uncheck File > Sharing. 4. I also recommend that you uncheck all the other sharing services > here when connecting to public Wi-Fi. 5. Close the window and you're set. > Okay, you're done your business, and now you can log off of public Wi-Fi. > You've taken all the necessary precautions, and there's a good chance none > of your information was compromised. Just remember to switch your file > sharing back on when you get back to your home or office. None of these > services will work unless you restore your regular settings. When you're > back on your secure server, you can continue sharing to your heart's > content. How else can you protect yourself from digital intrusion? Be sure > to listen or download my podcasts, or click here to find it on your local > radio station . You can listen to the Kim Komando Show on your phone, tablet > or computer. From buying advice to digital life issues, click here for my > free podcasts . Related:: How not to get hacked when using your plane's > Wi-Fi Copyright 2017, WestStar Multimedia Entertainment. All rights > reserved. > > Original article at: > https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2017/08/18/one-mistake-people- > make-using-public-wi-fi/577791001/ > > > -- > The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries > list. > > If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if > you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or > moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. > > Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark at: > macvisionaries+modera...@googlegroups.com and your owner is Cara Quinn - you > can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com > > The archives for this list can be searched at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- Janina Sajka, Phone: +1.443.300.2200 sip:jan...@asterisk.rednote.net Email: jan...@rednote.net Linux Foundation Fellow Executive Chair, Accessibility Workgroup: http://a11y.org The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Chair, Accessible Platform Architectures http://www.w3.org/wai/apa -- The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries list. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark at: macvisionaries+modera...@googlegroups.com and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com The archives for this list can be searched at: http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
