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I was told a really interesting thing by one of my colleges today. She said that she found out that if you are using public wi-fi, whether it is in a cafe or at home without a protected password, it is very easy for anyone (with the knowledge and skills to do this) to hack into your computer and view the same thing that you are viewing. This means that if you put passwords into online banking statements, email, etc., it becomes easy enough for another person to find out these passwords and save them. After hearing this, I will make a commitment to being much more careful with the types of things that I do using public wi-fi.
How can they get into our computers? I use wi-fi all the time, like right now. I can't imagine not using it. I don't understand how people can hack into my computer though. but It is a very scary idea, I don't want people to steal my passwords!
ReplyDeleteErin,
ReplyDeleteI don't think that I explained that very well. If you are on a virtual private network, then you wouldn't have to worry about people being able to access what you are viewing on your computer. Starbucks has created their own vpn, and you wouldn't have to worry about it if you are using the wi-fi on campus at MSU. However, if you are using an open network, such as someone's unprotected home network, then this can become a problem. Therefore I found out that it is much more important than i previously thought to pay attention to the type of wi-fi that I am using.