Tech Tip: Free Wifi! Not so great?

In this era, we are continually connected to the web. Be it via our home computers, laptops, cellular phones, or tablets, we are constantly connected. Many business already offer free wifi in order for you to bring your business to them while you are working, doing school work, or simply want time to chill. It is definitley useful at times.

The danger in this: eyes may be watching. With the inundation of network access out in the ether, there is quite a bit of information "floating through the air." The wrong person with the right tools can easily skim this information while it is travelling to its point, accessing email accounts, bank accounts, and social networking sites among other things, using your information.

Generally, surfing the web looking at the latest viral video or news report is not in their interest. It is when you must log on to a site that the danger arises. Some places that offer free wifi may have some sort of privacy clause in effect, but you would know what to ask, and who to ask, to find out. That's just a pain when you will usually have to go through neumerous people just to get this information.

When it comes to using these free wifi sites, treat them as if someone is watching everything you type on the keyboard, because that is what they could be doing. This also includes a trusted friend's house that has an unsecured network. Basically, if you don't need a password o log on to the wifi connection, or it is in a public place, be careful what site you visit. This will help you safety, as well as your computer, and possibly your bank accounts, credit card accounts, and overall credit score.

I spoke of the dangers of getting a hold of one piece of login information in my Tech Tips: Facebook Links post. Truly, a hacker sometimes only needs one account and password. Check it out.

Tech Tip: Facebook Links

There are a plethora of games, apps, pics, videos, and links on Facebook. Many of which are simply ploys to either access your information, or to gain access to your account. After doing so, they will post to your profile, and to your friend's profiles, links that will help them gain access to more accounts. They may also gain access to your other accounts such as email, bank, and credit cards. There are a few things to look out for:

If you click a link on Facebook, and it asks you to sign into Facebook, it will most likely not be Facebook. This is a common ploy to get you to enter your account information so they can use it to access your account. Look at the URL(Address Bar), or just leave the page and return to Facebook, you are most likely still logged in.

If you must "Like" a page to view its contents, and it is not from a trusted source such as a well-known business, it is most likely a hack or spam of some sorts. After "Liking" a page, it will post to your profile, getting others to do the same.

Things to help avoid this happening:

Change your password often. Every 3-6 months is usually good. Do not use the same password you use for your online financial accounts. Remember that email you used to sign up? Most people use the same password for that email, and they also get banking and credit card statements to that email, which tells the hacker exactly what bank you use, a password that may work, and an email address that may work as a login for that bank. To think, all this started with a link on Facebook!

Know what your friends post. If you get a post, or see a post, that is our of ordinary for that friend, let them know immediately. If they posted it purposefully, no harm, if not, they will be thankful. Remind them to change their password, too.

Check your account page often by clicking your name. This will tell you what you have posted both on your page, as well as friend's pages. There are so many "status updates" out there, it is easy to miss what has been posted to your own profile.

Finally, don't click on odd links. Usually YouTube links are okay, as well as some news reports, but if you can't see the URL(Address), or can't tell its from YouTube, it may be a hack. Check that URL to see if the address makes sense. I saw a link for "A Crazy Tsunami Video" that was at some site that had nothing to do with news, this is during the Japan quake/tsunami so many people will want to see information. Hackers will use anything to gain access. If you do click, read the above!

Tech Tip: Email Hackers

Hackers like to send emails using first names in the "From" column. This increases their chances of you opening the email if it is from a name you recognize. Some popular "freemail" websites such as Yahoo! and Gmail let you "hover" your mouse over the sender's name, giving you the actual email address of the sender. If you don't recognize it, don't open it.