Hi all,

What do you think of security in free wi-fi areas like Starbucks, etc?

I know I would not do any on line banking in that situation but is standard web surfing dangerous?

With more and more Ipads being built, is this a new hunting ground for Aholes who like to build viruses and other things to screw up our beloved Ipads?

Thanks for the input,

Tom.

Unless your are jailbroken and downloading apps from places other than iTunes Store, you dont have to worry about arses creating viruses.

If you're worried about your standard web surfing, you may want to look at what you are surfing.

My web surfing is of the mundane kind: I.e; no porn.

I am more curious if the web areas can be hacked and if after that, can the hackers implant viruses in the Ipad?

I use my credit card to buy things at the Appt store.
I would hate to have that hacked.

I sometimes go to my company's server to do some work on the Ipad.
I would not like to see if that can be hacked either.

Again, unless you are on a JB machine, there are no viruses against the iPad.

Your CC in the Apple Store (assuming the iTunes store) is not stored on your ipad. It is stored with your account on the server side.

If you are worried about CC info going out, wait until you get home.

If your company does not have a firewall, you you have back-doored through said firewall - well, at my company, you would be fired on the spot.

Perhaps there is no virus out there yet, but all data transmitted through an unencrypted wifi network can be recorded and read by everyone else connected to the same network, unless the specific website uses a secure connection.

Originally Posted by deckyon

Your CC in the Apple Store (assuming the iTunes store) is not stored on your ipad. It is stored with your account on the server side.

My iTunes account was hit with $2,000 worth of fraudulent charges back in October and I don't think that I was alone. I eventually got my money back, but this is the only time CC fraud has happened to me and I didn't enjoy the experience.

No doubt the the problem has been fixed by now, but I only leave my CC details on iTunes for a few minutes while actually making a purchase.

This has nothing to do with public WiFi of course. It's unencrypted and there's no doubt that someone with the technical expertise and bad intentions can tap into the traffic.

Since safari can't download stuff, then viruses shouldn't be a problem.

Since "sniffing" is one of the problems I worry about - I usually don't do any financial or real personal stuff while on public wifi.

But, since I worry that random people might be able to get data from me, when I am in public, I use a VPN service. In my case, "VPN Express" - which is a free app (but you have to sign up to pay for a plan to use it past the introductory data allotment).

This is not an endorsement of the app, but more a reminder that public wifi is just like sitting at your desk in the middle of a downtown street/park. It's not private and you sure want to ensure data about you doesn't get out.

Call me paranoid ....

Marilyn