The Traveler's Guide to Wireless Internet Safety

By Kim Boatman

For many of us, checking email or using the Internet while on the road is simply part of our travel routine. We’ve become accustomed to Internet access almost everywhere we go.

When you travel with a laptop or other Internet-ready device, it’s tempting to log on wherever you get a wireless signal. Waiting for a flight? Might as well check your email. Time for a latte at a café? Signing on is almost second nature.

However, the widespread availability of wireless access brings with it threats. Hackers and identity thieves rely on our dependence on access to the Internet and email all the time and have developed scams to steal personal information.

“I think that people tend to be a bit too trusting when they’re on the road,’’ says travel expert Chris Elliott, author of the Travel Troubleshooter syndicated column. “I’ve had friends whose passwords were stolen and whose PayPal accounts were compromised. There are some elements out there that are going to be up to no good.”

You can foil the bad guys if you exercise caution on the road, say our experts. Here are some do’s and don’ts:

1. Do look for reputable Wi-Fi access. “Anybody can set up a wireless access point (WAP) anywhere, even malicious users trying to capture your traffic,’’ says security expert Joel Dubin, author of The Little Black Book of Computer Security.

Identity thieves create fake WAPs, known as "evil twins," that resemble legitimate wireless Internet or Wi-Fi providers in public places. “It’s sort of a wireless version of a phishing site,’’ explains Dubin. Phishing is an attempt by unscrupulous parties to acquire your sensitive personal information, such as a credit card number, by trying to imitate email or websites of trusted merchants, such as your bank.

If you’re not paying close attention when you look for Wi-Fi access, you might log onto a site with a name similar to a familiar company. The bad guys may even redirect you to Web pages similar to pages you visit on a daily basis. Meanwhile, they’ll be logging your personal information.

Common sense should prevail, says Elliott. A connection at a familiar chain such as Starbucks is likely safe, while you should think twice about connecting at an unfamiliar local café. “You see those offers for free Wi-Fi at the airport, those are the ones you want to avoid,’’ Elliott says.

2. Don’t use public terminals. Not traveling with your laptop or don’t want to bother unpacking it? Don’t be tempted to log onto a laptop or other terminal that offers free public access, says Dubin. “You have no control over public terminals. They could have keystroke loggers.” Keystroke loggers record every stroke you make on a keyboard, and it’s another method of capturing your personal information.

3. Don’t shop or bank online. If you can, wait until you return home before you make that online purchase. Both Dubin and Elliott caution against shopping or banking online while you travel. It’s best to avoid placing your personal financial information at risk.

4. Do use a VPN. Many companies use a virtual private network (VPN) that provides a secure connection for employees in remote locations. Using a VPN offers you some security and means, says Dubin, “If someone at the next table is trying to sniff the traffic, all they’ll get is encrypted gibberish.”

5. Do turn off file-sharing. A malicious user could try to connect to your laptop through a shared file, says Dubin. If you have Windows Vista, simply click on Network, and then click on Network and Sharing Center. Scroll down under Sharing and Discovery, and you’ll find the on/off “button” for file-sharing.

6. Don’t leave your wireless card on. Don’t routinely leave it on by default. It might enable the bad guys to access your computer. Don’t allow instant connections you haven’t approved.

7. Do use the postcard rule. Generally, instant messaging isn’t encrypted. So, your communication might be just as private as a message you’d send on the back of a postcard. Don’t send information you consider confidential. “There are certain things you don’t want to do in public,’’ says Elliott. “There are a lot of people who potentially are going to have access to that information.”

8. Do ready your defenses. Make sure your firewall, which permits and denies traffic to and from your computer, is in place. If you carry sensitive files on your laptop, think about buying password protection software that lets you require a password to access each file.

Most important, don’t let temptation prevent you from being a smart Wi-Fi user. “With the proliferation of wireless devices and WAPs, users aren’t being as careful as they should be,’’ says Dubin. “People are more aware of the security issues but aren’t always taking heed.”

Kim Boatman is a journalist based in Silicon Valley, Calif. She spent more than 15 years writing about a variety of topics for the San Jose Mercury News.