The solution to secure yourself while using an open wifi spot is fairly straightforward.
Use a secured VPN tunnel. AFAIK, most VPN systems are not vulnerable to the same kind of attacks that WEP/WPA come under. I use a firm called HotspotVPN ( http://www.hotspotvpn.com/ ) to provide me with security on the road. Connect to the WAP, then connect the VPN. All anyone sees is encrypted traffic that can't be compromised with attacks against the wireless aspect. For less than $10 a month, it's money well spent. -Michael > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Mike Outmesguine > Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2005 4:33 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: RE: [SOCALWUG] 'Evil twin' fear for wireless net > > > The reason wireless security is of more concern than wired is > that untrusted people are sitting in between you and the > server you are visiting. > > When I surf the web over a wired connection, my data goes > over lines buried outside my house, to a telephone or cable > company with a locked building, over T1 lines to other > telecom companies, hopping on several routers run by ISPs and > broadband providers, eventually to the server I am surfing on. > > I trust the people between here and there. For example, I > trust that Google will resist the urge to hack into my > account. just like I trust my network administrator at the > office. I trust PacBell that they do not want to read my > email or steal my identity. > > But in a wireless network, you now introduce "anyone with a > laptop and some free software" into the mix. Sitting between > my laptop and the wi-fi access point could be someone > watching for any purpose. > > I don't trust everyone in Los Angeles with technical > abilities. But I do trust network carriers and service > providers for most of my surfing. > > I even trust the government sniffers employed at my ISP... > Well, for most of my transmissions ;) > > -Mike > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf > Of Michael A. > Dickerson > Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2005 2:35 PM > To: SoCal WUG > Subject: Re: [SOCALWUG] 'Evil twin' fear for wireless net > > On Thu, 20 Jan 2005, Charles Felts wrote: > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4190607.stm > > This part seems to always get overlooked in these stories: > > "Naturally, people may have security concerns," said Chris > Clark, chief executive for BT's wireless broadband. "But > wi-fi networks are no more or less vulnerable than any other > means of accessing the internet, like broadband or dial-up." > > I'm not saying that you shouldn't apply as many layers of > security as you can reasonably afford, but I've never > understood why people worry so much about the first hop (from > your wifi card to the hotspot) when your data has 20 or 30 > more unprotected hops to go. (Of course it's a different > concern if you have WAPs attached to an internal "trusted" > network.) But if you were sending "financial transactions or > anything that is of a sensitive or personal nature" in the > clear over the Internet, you were already screwed before you > ever got 802.11. > > M.D. > -- > Michael A. Dickerson : Unix Systems Administrator : Pomona > College Andrew 252a : 909.607.8653 : [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >
