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Public Internet Use Fraught With Danger?
Doug Caverly
Staff Writer
2006-08-22
 Insider Reports RSS Feed
Be careful about using the Internet in public places - that's the main point of a new article outlining the potential dangers of this common practice. Whether a person is taking advantage of a wireless connection on their own computer, or sitting at a terminal owned by a library or hotel, there are a number of risks of which they should be aware.
Susan Stellin of The New York Times wrote an article about those threats. In it, she included a quote from Paul Stamp, a Forrester Research security analyst. "The first step companies need to do is to educate people about how valuable the data is and also how small the circles are in which they travel," he stated.
Robert Vamosi, a senior editor at CNET, believed that some surfing was harmless enough, but that individuals should be careful. "Where I'd draw the line is putting in your bank account information or credit card number," he said. Stellin noted that Vamosi also felt "that checking e-mail messages probably is not that risky, but if you want to be cautious, change your password once you are on a secure connection again."
This is, after all, a field in which cautiousness (or even paranoia) can be rewarded. Jim Louderback, the editor of PC Magazine, thought that heavy precautions were warranted. "Even if it's 1 or 2 percent," he told Stellin. "You don't want to run that risk."
The article goes on to recommend several products and services that can help ensure a safe "public surfing" experience. Those tips, and the rest of the piece, are definitely worth a look. They can be found here.
Tag: Public Internet use
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About the Author:
Doug is a staff writer for SecurityProNews. InternetFinancialNews, SearchNewz, and WebProNews.
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