Public WiFi is dangerous -- Use VPN!

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kentwb

Filing Flight Plan
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Jul 29, 2013
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Littleton, CO
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Display name:
KentWB
As pilots we use public WiFi all the time (hotels, airports, cafes, etc.). You're taking a chance because your information is NOT secure. The fix is EASY....use a VPN. I got smart and now the first thing I do when I login to WiFi on the road is Connect to my VPN server. The 4 or 5 bucks I spend per month is worth my peace of mind.

If you're like me and have no clue what a VPN is, how it works or why you need one....here's some great information that will get you up to speed:

Anonymous VPN for Pilots

Don't take a chance when you use someone else's WiFi......
 
What are they paying you?
 
Witopia works pretty well too. I've used it for years in countries that censor or otherwise restrict the internet. I am not being paid - just a satisfied customer.
 
kentwb said:
As pilots we use public WiFi all the time (hotels, airports, cafes, etc.). You're taking a chance because your information is NOT secure. The fix is EASY....use a VPN. I got smart and now the first thing I do when I login to WiFi on the road is Connect to my VPN server. The 4 or 5 bucks I spend per month is worth my peace of mind.

If you're like me and have no clue what a VPN is, how it works or why you need one....here's some great information that will get you up to speed:

Anonymous VPN for Pilots

Don't take a chance when you use someone else's WiFi......
Click to expand...

I agree with using a VPN. However, I'd avoid anything with an association with TOR or Onion. It's already know that using these services lands you on a watchlist. One bad apple ruined it for the rest.
 
The problem with VPN is, all the good ones cost money.

When I'm on a public WiFi, I only use services for which I can verify TLS certs (like GMail, and, oddly enough, Facebook). DUATS while it's still available.

PoA is not safe. It's a standard forum and spammers capture cookies for those left and right.
 
I have used TOR and no problems at TSA for me.
 
I just keep any accounts including email that are linked to things like credit cards/bank accounts/etc separate and don't log into them when away home.

True, forums, social networking, and other stuff isn't secure. I'm honestly not worried about it. If I ever did get an account hijacked I'd just tell the admins and get my password changed.
 
One of the problems with VPN is that the advertisements often pop up in Swedish
 
I like private internet access . It's cheap and works well. Their client apps are simple to install and use, no network engineer needed. Their 'East' server works the best for me.

In some cases I get faster speeds from the VPN than directly from ATT Uverse. I think this may be because they compress the data on the server end before sending it down the pipe.

I haven't used it in China I admit.
 
ARFlyer said:
I'd avoid anything with an association with TOR or Onion. It's already know that using these services lands you on a watchlist.
Click to expand...

It's already known that everyone in the US (and abroad) is on the NSA's watchlist. We should all use TOR and Onion to stand in solidarity with others who do.

However, most sensitive browsing you do in connection with flying is protected by SSL encryption (HTTPS sites), including use of LMFS, DUATS, etc. Banking sites and credit-card purchases are protected, too. So these interactions are safe even on otherwise-unprotected public networks.
 
ARFlyer said:
I agree with using a VPN. However, I'd avoid anything with an association with TOR or Onion. It's already know that using these services lands you on a watchlist. One bad apple ruined it for the rest.
Click to expand...
In order for them to notice you're using TOR and thus add you to the watchlist, they have to be watching you in the first place. Ironic, isn't it?
 
Wow! Lots of acronyms! Makes my brain hurt. I am so not smart.
Away from home, I use my ipad mini which has no financial info on it at all. Surf, check email, check weather.
 
kentwb said:
As pilots we use public WiFi all the time (hotels, airports, cafes, etc.). You're taking a chance because your information is NOT secure. The fix is EASY....use a VPN. I got smart and now the first thing I do when I login to WiFi on the road is Connect to my VPN server. The 4 or 5 bucks I spend per month is worth my peace of mind.

If you're like me and have no clue what a VPN is, how it works or why you need one....here's some great information that will get you up to speed:

Anonymous VPN for Pilots

Don't take a chance when you use someone else's WiFi......
Click to expand...

VPN is protocol (tunneling) not a wire transmission infrastructure. At some point everything you communicate from a PC or phone gets captured.
 
CTLSi said:
VPN is protocol (tunneling) not a wire transmission infrastructure. At some point everything you communicate from a PC or phone gets captured.
Click to expand...

At least you know your information is encrypted -- the big problem with free public wi-fi is that it's typically unencrypted. Using a hotel's free internet that has a passkey is better, but not perfect, but the wide-open wi-fi networks are a problem.
 
Morgan3820 said:
Wow! Lots of acronyms! Makes my brain hurt. I am so not smart.
Away from home, I use my ipad mini which has no financial info on it at all. Surf, check email, check weather.
Click to expand...

Understand that it's not a matter of what you keep on your iPad, but what information you transmit. I think most email services at this point use HTTPS (encrypted), so you have some protection even on open wifi, but anything on a non-secure site is broadcast completely in the clear. Logging in to your bank account on that iPad is probably safe, but if you expose your email account or other information you could be at risk. Be especially vigilant for any certificate issues when logging into a secure site -- at home we tend to just click through the notifications, but on public wi-fi it's really easy for somebody to setup a man-in-the-middle attack, and the notification of an unsigned or expired certificate would be your clue.
 
It's only encrypted until it goes to the public internet. Most sites use SSL encryption for authentication. Just get a good A/V and use a software firewall. I do see the value in locations like China, however.
 
dukeblue219 said:
At least you know your information is encrypted -- the big problem with free public wi-fi is that it's typically unencrypted. Using a hotel's free internet that has a passkey is better, but not perfect, but the wide-open wi-fi networks are a problem.
Click to expand...

All public encryption is breakable by the NSA. The NSA has all of it. VPN tunneling is mainly for corporate customers on the internet to keep casual thieves out of their data. It will not protect any data on the net from sophisticated hackers or the NSA.
 
The risk with email is that if someone gets it they could go through the lost password retrieval page from your bank, look up the publicly available info the bank forced you to enter as "security questions" then access your account, then change all your passwords so you can only get back in by calling someone and convincing them you're you.

This kind of stuff is how most hacking is done. Often just buy making a phone call and having done their homework on you. Think about the verification questions you get asked when on the phone or retrieving a password. Mothers maiden name, town you were born in, street you grew up on, etc. That's all public info for anyone who goes looking. When companies insist you use these questions, they do it to reduce their tech support load by making password retrieval automated. It absolutely makes you less secure.

Lie on the security questions(remember your lie) so nobody can just look it up. Use separate secure email for that stuff, and use different unique passwords for the important stuff. There's no perfect security but you can reduce your exposure.
 
I have an unlocked Android phone and use it to create a WiFi access point for our laptops when we travel; works great and doesn't cost me a thing. You're definitely taking some chances by using public WiFi, even ones that use encryption.
 
The OP apparently owns the company that owns the website he is touting.

On the plus side, he posted this in the Classifieds. On the minus side, he hid the fact that he is the seller, by posting as if he is a customer who recommends the product. He even pretends he is paying to subscribe to his own product offering!

To confirm this, look at his web page. It is for a company called Airline Pilot Hiring. Then search for that name at the Colorado SOS
http://www.sos.state.co.us/biz/BusinessEntityCriteriaExt.do

So that's a gotcha, Mr. OP.

If anyone wants a VPN, the default choice for individual customers is hidemyass.com, which costs $12 if you pay for only one month, less if you buy more. I have no relation to that product, other than being a customer and having an ass. Despite the funny name, it is a good service.
 
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CTLSi said:
All public encryption is breakable by the NSA. The NSA has all of it. VPN tunneling is mainly for corporate customers on the internet to keep casual thieves out of their data. It will not protect any data on the net from sophisticated hackers or the NSA.
Click to expand...

I don't care about stopping the NSA from getting into my stuff, not because I condone it, but because as you say there's little I can do to 100% stop it. I'm more concerned with those "casual thieves" like the kid sitting across the room from me at Starbucks, or in the hotel lobby, or at the airport terminal who is sniffing my wifi traffic to get whatever he finds of value.

Just like locking your house/car/apartment/shed -- you aren't going to keep out the police or a determined criminal, but you'll stop the drunk teenager or random crackhead from stumbling in and rifling through your stuff at least.
 
zaitcev said:
The problem with VPN is, all the good ones cost money.

When I'm on a public WiFi, I only use services for which I can verify TLS certs (like GMail, and, oddly enough, Facebook). DUATS while it's still available.

PoA is not safe. It's a standard forum and spammers capture cookies for those left and right.
Click to expand...

Just set up a home VPN for free then. I use a VPN through my Synology NAS, but they're just as easy to set up on your home PC or Mac.

Bonus when overseas, no internet filter (such as when traveling to China, UAE, etc.)
 
The thing about a VPN is that it hides your location from the servers to which you connect, as well as encrypting everything that flows out of your network adapter.

If the NSA is interested in you could they still capture your packets somewhere along the line? Probably yes. But they probably aren't.

Can your ISP monitor where you go on the interwebs if you use a VPN? Probably not. But they can if you just rely on SSL.

Can your local cops monitor where you go on the interwebs if you use a VPN? Probably not. But they can if you just rely on SSL.

Could a marketer monitor your surfing habits? Less likely if you use a vpn, especially if you use the incognito mode of your browser.

There are lots of good reasons to use a vpn service.
 
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