Some new information has come out of a recent hacker’s convention that may change the way we use the public Wi-Fi spots forever. There is a new Firefox Extension now available called “FireSheep” that, when installed on anyone’s computer, will allow you to see who is logged into a public Wi-Fi network, what sites they are logged into, and with a simple click of the mouse, take over their identity on the Net.
Yes you read that correctly. With FireSheep, anyone can see what you are doing on-line and easily steal your on-line identity. They can make changes to your Facebook account, change your e-mail password, and much much worse. Are there ways to prevent this? Yes there is. And I will get to that.
Currently, almost 1/2 million people have downloaded FireSheep into their Firefox browsers. Some folks only want to see if and how it works. Others may have less than honorable intentions. You need to protect yourself and perhaps suggest to your favorite coffee shop or other Wi-Fi connected businesses that they do a simple change to their Wi-Fi routers to protect their customers.
The creators of FireSheep did this to show the world how easy it is to steal your identity and to force a change in the way public Wi-Fi is used. And it is so easy to change!
The easiest fix this is for the Wi-Fi provider to turn on WPA or WPA2 encryption on their routers. Then, just hang a sign on the wall for the password to access the router. For instance, Starbucks could easily put up a large sign saying the password in “Starbucks.” Then no one on line could see anyone else. Each computer would encrypted differently, even with the same password. I think all public Wi-Fi providers should do this now!!
The second solution would be for you, the user, to use VPN encryption to scramble all your signals to and from your laptop. This is what I have been doing for some time now. There are both free and paid VPN programs.
For more information on these topics, here are some sources for further reading. Also check out the links in the article for more information:
Firesheep Simplifies Stealing Logins
Well, thanks to a new Firefox extension called Firesheep, anyone can easily view other people on their network and, with a click of a button, assume another person's identity and login credentials from any non-secure site that the unwitting person is logged into.
The unvarnished truth about unsecured Wi-Fi
Many of you may have heard this before, but many still seem to not be doing anything about it. You should. Here's why. With a $50 wireless antenna and the right software a criminal hacker located outside your building as far as a mile away can capture passwords, e-mail messages, and any other data being transmitted over your network.
How to Stay Safe on Public Wi-Fi Networks
Just because most wireless routers have a firewall to protect you from the internet doesn't mean you're protected from others connected to the same network. Lots of wireless hotspots these days are completely unencrypted, usually so they're easier to connect to (baristas don't need to be giving out the internet password to everyone that walks in). However, this leaves you unprotected against malicious users in the same coffee shop, so there are a few settings you should always make sure to tweak when you're connected to a public network.
proXPN - Create a FREE VPN Account
This free program will allow you to use a private VPN network in public Wi-Fi locations so that no one can see what you are doing, even with FireSheep.
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