Hi, I will be leaving for 5 weeks starting tomorrow. I just have a question about the wi-fi in hotels. Are they secure (I mean it's never 100%, but does it have any security at all)? If not, is there anything I can do on my end to secure my internet activities? Like at home, I enabled the WEP protection (since I don't have WAP) and that helps me keep some peace in mind.

I have a firewall already, but not sure if that's enough since all the incoming and outgoing data will be open if unsecured (right?).

Thanks.

A friend of mine was on vacation and stayed in hotels where they offered a variety of wireless and wired free internet.

She took her Apple iBook, kept it password protected and didn't leave it on the wireless network unless she was actually using it. She didn't notice any security issues, but she did encounter some problems with getting online.

Depending on the hotel chain and the location of the property, getting online could be challenging or easy. Make sure you take along your own ethernet connection, which she neglected to do. The hotels often supply them, but want a $20 deposit to use one.

As for security, I'd make sure any personal information would be removed from the computer and that everything is password protected. If you check email, do so from web based email and not from your own hard drive. Lots of information can be in an email or even a forgotten document on your hard drive.

Have a great vacation.

I support Brian and would also add that I found hotel wireless networks to be very much open. The ones I have used allow you to create your own login and password to gain access.

When it comes to emails though it’s always good to use encryption (PGP) or something of the sort. It doesn’t matter if you are using wireless or wired networks out going emails can be captured.

Always be concerned about data leaving your computer even if it looks legitimate. Block telnet access to your computer it is the most common resource application a hacker would use to take a peek in to your hard drive.

Wi-fi In Hotels Safe? = Sex in Bangkok without condom safe?


Well, the only real safe way to use the internet is offline browsing I guess! Maybe some evil Telnet hackers could be a problem, BUT can you really trust the hotel employees? What if one of them sniffs the whole traffic? As Rudy says here, I agree that encrypting is the right choice when you use any kind of public access points.

GreetingZ

The real issue with using an open network is not unauthorized access to your computer, but someone sniffing the information being sent wirelessly. For instance, if you're a common FTP user, I could very easily intercept your login and password because those are both sent as cleartext. The best way around this is to encrypt your connection via ssh or other secure protocol. Chances are though, you won't encounter anything bad if you don't , but it's always better to be safe than sorry.

So what that really means is you can do normal surfing, but just make sure you don't log in into sites or FTP or email without securing your connection, is that it? O_o. I've never tried using one of those wireless connections but this sounds like good advice that I could use.

At the hotels I've stayed at, turn on your wireless and you're on. No WEP Key or the such. I like the hotels that provide you an ethernet cable to connect as that is more secure.



Just keep you're firewall on and prey!!!! But just look for hotels that have ethernet ports and privide you a cable (or you have to sign one out)



Don't log into any websites that aren't secure when you're going to trasfer personal data like credit card numbers and such. But then again, the hotel owns the network and are providing you the service for free. Don't do anything stupid on their network and you'll be good. After all, like hazeshow said, nothing is stopping the employees from checking your activites. It's like at school or work. Hoteles normally shouldn't do this unless you're doing something illegal or something along that path. Don't do anything dumb on their network and the staff won't be after you.

So, don't transmit any personal data, try to use ethernet cable, and don't leave your laptop in plain sight ready for the taking!

Have a great trip!

[N]F

Make sure to pack your bag with all the necessary items. My friend said one thing she felt good about remembering was her surge protector. Not all hotels have nice looking outlets if you want to plug in your laptop.

She took advantage of the hotel's safe a few times as well. A few places she stayed did have a safe inside the hotel room, which she used. Read the small print, the hotel doesn't replace anything lost while you are there.

Hotel staff often leaves the room door open (YOUR room!) while they are down the hall taking a break, sipping on coffee or talking to a friend. Anyone can walk into your room and waltz out with your valuables, including that laptop.

It depends on the hotel whether they are secure or not (duh)...

Maybe phone them up and ask them if they have a WEP key or not I have no idea as most hotels I visit don't have Wi-Fi at all!

Yes, that's the best course of action. There are several options for securing the connection, from SSL sites to ssh tunneling. If you're into ftp, just use sftp. I believe there are certain pay services out there that will provide a secure connection, but I'm not quite sure what method they use.

However, take all of this with a grain of salt. Sure, you can reinforce your house with armor plating all you want, but the chances of you being attacked is relatively small.