Let's keep this topic's tone as upbeat as possible please... I just wanted to pass this on, as many of us have and do use WiFi in various public places.
I was just watching a news show, and they were telling the public about a new program that intercepts information from your computer when using any unsecured internet provider.
This mainly refers to using public WiFi access in places like bookstores, cafes, anywhere that lets you use it for free.
It doesn't matter if they give you a password. Chances are there are many, many others who have been given this password too...
The person sitting next to you could be sharing your computer and you wouldn't know it, until something bad happens... You may not know it until later that day, or a few days later.
If you have wireless in your home, and haven't password protected it, you are at risk too.
This program is free... and available to anyone...
This program literally lets anyone gain access to your computer while you are surfing the net on a unsecured network. The only sites they can't intercept are ones where the url starts with https: These sites use an encryption program that blocks this hacker program.
For those of you who do not know what a url is, look at the top of your screen, in the address bar is the url. here it is http:// quiltingboard.com
I am
NOT saying our board is not safe, I am just using this sites url as an example :D:D:D
I would think that this may be how so many email accounts have been hacked into, as well as the problems many have had with their facebook and other accounts as well.
Here is the news story in written form as well as a video clip of a reporter using the program at a coffee shop, hacking into customers facebook accounts... it also further explains how this hacker program works.
http://www.komonews.com/news/tech/107360348.html