Consumer Reports WebWatch
Cybercrime Prevention Project
Fact Sheet #10: Gone Wireless: Protect Yourself from ID Thieves and
‘Freebooters’
This is the tenth fact sheet in Consumer Reports WebWatch’s “Look Before You Click” campaign,
supported by a grant from the New York State Attorney General’s office, to help educate New
York consumers about Internet fraud.
You might be using a laptop computer for home and business purposes. You may even have set
up your own wireless network at home with routers, signal boosters and repeaters to reach all the
rooms in your home. Did you know using WiFi
and home networks creates some unique security
and privacy risks? Here’s how to protect yourself from identity thieves, “freebooters” who steal
your home wireless network signal, or hackers looking to attack your machine in the relative
tranquility of a WiFi
hotspot at the airport coffee shop.
Remember that WiFi
hotspots are public places where people connect to the Internet. Using
easily available software, others might be able to see what Web sites you are looking at, see your
login information at sites not secured by SSL (chat rooms, for instance), and possibly see the
contents of documents on your machine.
What to do? First, follow the same basic rules for computer security you’ve read about in our
factsheets and on the Consumer Reports WebWatch site: Use an active antivirus
program (one
that continuously installs updates based on the latest threats); install a spyware cleanser to
remove badware from your machine; enable your firewall; and download security patch updates
from your operating system’s manufacturer.
Use encryption to scramble communications. If you have a choice, use WiFi
Protected Access
(WPA), which is stronger than Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), though you may need to buy
newer equipment. If you have access to a virtual private network (VPN), take advantage of its
security, though if it’s provided by your employer, you should consider what you will be using it
for.
If the WiFi
service requires setting up payment for use, make sure you read all terms and
conditions, and pay attention to security and privacy information. Finally, you may also want to
consider doing your home banking and creditcard
bill paying from a more secure, less public
place.
The issues, and solutions, are similar when using a home network. Turn off identifier
broadcasting on your wireless router, so it won't send a signal to any device in the vicinity
announcing its presence. Turn off your wireless network when you know you won't use it. Make
all your personal passwords tougher to crack, and reset manufacturer's default passwords. Also,
don’t write your passwords down on pieces of paper next to your computer or scribble them on
the wall above your monitor. These are the first places a thief will look if your home is broken into.
Cybercrime Prevention Project
Fact Sheet #10: Gone Wireless: Protect Yourself from ID Thieves and
‘Freebooters’
This is the tenth fact sheet in Consumer Reports WebWatch’s “Look Before You Click” campaign,
supported by a grant from the New York State Attorney General’s office, to help educate New
York consumers about Internet fraud.
You might be using a laptop computer for home and business purposes. You may even have set
up your own wireless network at home with routers, signal boosters and repeaters to reach all the
rooms in your home. Did you know using WiFi
and home networks creates some unique security
and privacy risks? Here’s how to protect yourself from identity thieves, “freebooters” who steal
your home wireless network signal, or hackers looking to attack your machine in the relative
tranquility of a WiFi
hotspot at the airport coffee shop.
Remember that WiFi
hotspots are public places where people connect to the Internet. Using
easily available software, others might be able to see what Web sites you are looking at, see your
login information at sites not secured by SSL (chat rooms, for instance), and possibly see the
contents of documents on your machine.
What to do? First, follow the same basic rules for computer security you’ve read about in our
factsheets and on the Consumer Reports WebWatch site: Use an active antivirus
program (one
that continuously installs updates based on the latest threats); install a spyware cleanser to
remove badware from your machine; enable your firewall; and download security patch updates
from your operating system’s manufacturer.
Use encryption to scramble communications. If you have a choice, use WiFi
Protected Access
(WPA), which is stronger than Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), though you may need to buy
newer equipment. If you have access to a virtual private network (VPN), take advantage of its
security, though if it’s provided by your employer, you should consider what you will be using it
for.
If the WiFi
service requires setting up payment for use, make sure you read all terms and
conditions, and pay attention to security and privacy information. Finally, you may also want to
consider doing your home banking and creditcard
bill paying from a more secure, less public
place.
The issues, and solutions, are similar when using a home network. Turn off identifier
broadcasting on your wireless router, so it won't send a signal to any device in the vicinity
announcing its presence. Turn off your wireless network when you know you won't use it. Make
all your personal passwords tougher to crack, and reset manufacturer's default passwords. Also,
don’t write your passwords down on pieces of paper next to your computer or scribble them on
the wall above your monitor. These are the first places a thief will look if your home is broken into.
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