Five awesome Wi-Fi travel tips

Summer is in full swing and chances are you’re bringing your laptop with you while traveling — be it a road trip with the family, up to the cottage for a little R&R or on a business trip to the U.S. Either way, you’ll need to protect your computer data from cyber-snoops and Symantec, the makers of Norton security products, is offering these five great travel tips.

The good news is Wi-Fi is everywhere these days, be it in hotels, airports, coffee shops and even in the air as more airlines are rolling out 802.11 wireless connectivity.

But Wi-Fi networks are also easy entry points for crooks, cautions Symantec, including those looking to steal your identity, money and account information.

To ensure your vacation doesn’t end up a disaster, consider these five easy tips to ensure your vacation doesn’t end in disaster.

1. Beware of “Evil Twins” – Some Wi-Fi networks can appear to be legitimate, but are NOT. Criminals can create “dummy” networks or Web sites that contain the name of the airline, hotel or airport, but actually will direct your information to their own computer. If you always use the access keys provided by the airline, hotel, or airport, you’ll be protected.

2. Always assume your Wi-Fi connections are being eavesdropped on - Never enter sensitive data (bank account information, social security numbers, etc.) when browsing the Web via a Wi-Fi network.

3. Set any Bluetooth devices to “hidden”, not “discoverable” - If you do not use the Bluetooth function, turn it off altogether.

4. Keep your security software current and active - Remember, mobile PCs are vulnerable to the same viruses, Trojans, and worms as your home computer.

5. Pay attention to your surroundings - Remember, if you can read his magazine, the guy sitting next to you on the plane can also read your laptop screen! Just because you’re on vacation, doesn’t mean you’re not still in public

On a related note, these phishing attempts are getting better all the time…take a look at this Rogers email I received (below)…looks legit, huh? When you click to visit the website and are asked to type in information, you’ll see the URL (website address) isn’t a Rogers one…be careful out there…!

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