Be Careful When Browsing Wirelessly or Using a Public Computer
It is incredibly important to protect your personal information when surfing the Internet. This is especially true when the methods you use to connect to the Internet may not be entirely secure. Bad computing practices can make your information public and lead to identity theft.
When using a wireless network, it is important to remember that the network may not be secure. Therefore, it is your responsibility to exercise caution when connecting wirelessly.
Before using any wireless network, be sure that your operating system patches and firewall software are up-to-date. For maximum security, never join an untrusted wireless network. More tips about wireless security are available at the Using Wireless Networks: Safety Tips page of NSIT's Safe Computing site.
If you are using a public computer to browse the Internet, don't forget to explicitly log out of any page you log in to. If you've left your browser running, and especially if you've left yourself logged in to your email account or any other account, then whoever sits down next will have full access to that account -- including any personal information and the ability to send email as you.
Before connecting to a wireless network, take these steps to protect your data:
- Make sure your system's patches are up-to-date and your firewall is turned on.
- Never enter credit card, bank account or other sensitive information over an insecure network.
- Hackers can easily "sniff" and read your email if your email provider does not use an encrypted connection. cMail and xMail are always encrypted, but for any site you visit make sure to check for the lock icon before entering a password or other personal information. If the site is secure, Firefox displays a lock icon
in the Location Bar and in the Status Bar and Internet Explorer displays a lock icon 
in the Status Bar.
If you decide to use a public machine (e.g. hotel lobby computer, library, etc), you should avoid entering sensitive information and make sure to use encrypted sites. If you are at all suspicious of the security of the computer you are using, we strongly suggest that you change any passwords you entered the next time you are at a secure machine.
For more tips about online security, visit Safe Computing.
Last updated: 11/14/08