Cybercafé’s
offer a convenient way to use a networked computer when you are away from home
or office. But be careful. It's impossible for an ordinary user to tell what
the state of their security might be. Since anyone can use them for anything,
they have probably been exposed to viruses, worms, Trojans, keyloggers, and
other nasty malware. Should you use them at all? They're okay for casual web
browsing, but they're NOT okay for connecting to your email, which may contain
personal information; to any secure system, like the network or server at your
office, bank or credit union; or for shopping online.
A perfect
example is a current co-worker who went to the local Starbucks for his morning
coffee. He opened up his mobile device and connected to the free Wi-Fi. Now this
in itself was not a bad thing but what happens next is the issue. He logged
onto his Wells Fargo account. Made a few inquiries and transactions and logged
out of his session. A couple of days later he was notified of a compromise on
his Wells Fargo account. Alas, he was the victim of cyber theft.
This co-worker
has now spent the last two weeks working with the fraud group to get his
account moved over to a new account. I don’t feel bad for the co-worker only
because he is blaming Wells Fargo for all the complications in getting his
account back up and running. Wells needs to follow protocol. Being a
large bank different departments are scattered across multiple call centers
throughout the country. Yes it is frustrating for the consumer but the bigger
issue here is that the co-worker decided to connect to a public Wi-Fi and
conduct personal business.
The moral of
this story is, you never know who is watching. Hackers are everywhere. It’s ok
to connect to the free Wi-Fi at a hotel, coffee shop etc but please do not
conduct any personal or confidential business. You never know who will be
watching.
Have a safe day.
JMS
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