Just How Safe is Free WiFi at Mickey D's or Local Coffee Shop ??

[NorPlan]

My Son is having to rely on the Free WiFi at his local Mickey D's or Coffee Shop Temporarily ... He has some Important Contacts he needs to keep intouch with.. He goes Online in the Evening Hours , says there maybe one or two other people with Laptops where ever he chooses to get a Coffee.. My query is just how safe is this ??

 

[Bob Maxey]

My Son is having to rely on the Free WiFi at his local Mickey D's or Coffee Shop Temporarily ... He has some Important Contacts he needs to keep intouch with.. He goes Online in the Evening Hours , says there maybe one or two other people with Laptops where ever he chooses to get a Coffee.. My query is just how safe is this ??

Bob's Number One Rule: Assume every free WiFi hotspot is not secure.
Avoid bank transactions and other things like that. Assume that your whatever will be whatevered and let that be your guide.

 

[NorPlan]

Bob's Number One Rule: Assume every free WiFi hotspot is not secure.
Avoid bank transactions and other things like that. Assume that your whatever will be whatevered and let that be your guide.

A Big 10-4 on Whatever .lol. Definitely a "Whatever Moment", He was changing Cellphone Providers , Dates got screwed up.. Hence with Resumes out their and expected Call Backs. Fun Fun..

 

[twerppoet]

A good VPN (Virtual Private Network) client will make open wi-fi a lot safer. Most of the decent ones are not free, but they shouldn't cost more than a cup of coffee if you limit their use to the sensitive stuff like banks and credit card transactions.

Cloak is the only one I know of off the top of my head. Highly recommended by various bloggers and podcasters.

None of that will help if you have a crowd of potential shoulder surfers behind you. Keep your back to the non-reflective wall, if you're paranoid.

 

[NorPlan]

None of that will help if you have a crowd of potential shoulder surfers behind you. Keep your back to the non-reflective wall, if you're paranoid.

Thanks for the Comeback "twerppoet" He told me there maybe one other ipad / laptop user at anyone time.. And Yes he's sure to be located with his back against the wall. He just goes on long enough to get his correspondence done and get on down the road...