Is it true that using wifi lets people see all your info and passwords ?

Question

Level 1

1 points

Is it true that using wifi lets people see all your info and passwords ?

Someone on here posted that if you use a wifi connection with your ipod touch, that people can see all your passwords without . This cant possibly be true . I dont think apple would make ipod touches have wifi if using wifi meant other people can see all your passwords and steal info etc . I wasnt too sure if the person was implying that anyone also using the same wifi spot as you, or solely the wifi owner can see all your info, but either way it sounds very unlikely . Like i said, everyone uses wifi and i have never met anyone that got their passwords or other important info stolen by using an ipod touch and connecting to wifi spots .And if it IS true and it IS that easy to get info stolen, then what can we do to protect ourselves ? Every now and then i connect to wifi spots and purchase apps from the app store in which i have to type in my password. Does this mean that any of the people that were providing those wifi connections (college , friends and family members homes etc) can now have my passwords ? or is this only a"theoretical" and not practical issue, such as getting "virus protection" "for you Mac ? Also, if they CAN steal your info, can they only steal the info you use while on their connection ? ie, can they only steal a password that you type in and use while on their connection, or are your passwords and info at rick of getting stolen simply by connecting, even if you dont use the passwords while connected to their wifi ? thanks

Mac Pro Quad, Mac OS X (10.6.1), ipod Touch 3g 8gb OS 3.1.1

Posted on Oct 1, 2009 1:24 PM

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Answer 1

Pianohero Author

Level 1

1 points

Oct 1, 2009 1:53 PM in response to David.

hello . That sounds like a solution to make your own wifi signal secure (to not let just anyone connect to your wifi). But i was talking about your ipod connecting to someone elses wifi . I mean like, if you go to your friends house , or to your college (if they offer wifi) adn connect to THEIR wifi, can THEY see your ipod touch info . Can your friends steal your appstore passwords etc if they wanted to, if you connect to THEIR wifi . By connecting to OTHER peoples wifi ,was what i meant . Is your ipod touch at risk of having info stolen if you connect it to other peoples wifi . I hope the question is a bit more clear now

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Answer 2

Chris CA

Level 10

82,513 points

Oct 1, 2009 2:06 PM in response to Pianohero

Can your friends steal your appstore passwords etc if they wanted to, if you connect to THEIR wifi .

Possibly if you send your App store password over teh wifi connection but they cannot simply get onto your touch and start nosing around with no problem and find stuff.

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Answer 3

varjak paw

Level 10

182,656 points

Oct 1, 2009 2:18 PM in response to Pianohero

As Chris said, using an unsecure WiFi network does not allow someone to just get into your iPod and get access to the data. Such an unsecure network could allow someone to capture the data being sent between your iPod and the network and perhaps peel out your passwords and other private information from the stream of data. But such data capture and analysis isn't something that the average user could do; it takes a fairly sophisticated knowledge of the TCP/IP protocol and either a lot of patience sifting through the packets of data looking for patterns that might be your password/account number/etc. or the use of software with highly developed pattern recognition.

While it's highly recommended that you use a secure wireless network, the chances of someone running around your neighborhood trying to capture your information is pretty low (presuming you trust your friends, of course). For occasional use I wouldn't worry too much about it, though of course you always want to keep an eye on your accounts for any unauthorized or unexplained activity (true for all financial accounts you access across the Internet; far more exploits these days happen due to a crack of the provider's systems, not the capture of data in transit).

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Answer 4

Pianohero Author

Level 1

1 points

Oct 1, 2009 2:27 PM in response to varjak paw

so youre saying that its basically safe to check my paypal and ebay accounts etc, while on other peoples wifi because the odds of them A.trying to steal it and B.success at stealing is minimal ? Ok thanks. i was trying to figure out if i needed to buy n app to protect me but it sound like it would be overkill , and at worst, i just have to be smart and not log into my paypal account while on a wifi connection that is open to everyone etc .Thanks

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Answer 5

varjak paw

Level 10

182,656 points

Oct 1, 2009 2:37 PM in response to Pianohero

youre saying that its basically safe to check my paypal and ebay accounts etc, while on other peoples wifi because the odds of them A.trying to steal it and B.success at stealing is minimal ?

Totally safe? No, I'm not saying that. Low risk, yes. It's up to to you decide what risk, on any network, is acceptable.

It worst, i just have to be smart and not log into my paypal account while on a wifi connection that is open to everyone etc

Most such connection use HTTPS and so are encrypted even if the wireless network isn't. So as long as Safari in the iPod touch can connect via HTTPS - not having one myself I'm not certain - even if you connect over wireless, as long as the site uses HTTPS you're reasonably secure. PayPal uses HTTPS as does eBay for it's account signon.

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Answer 6

skymon2

Level 1

20 points

Oct 2, 2009 10:33 AM in response to Pianohero

An unsecured WiFi network connection where you are not using some kind of security like WEP/WPA/WPA2 or a VPN is a risk. Not necessarily high risk, but neither is it low risk. If your data (logins, passwords, searches, anything) is going across that connection in clear text, then, IF, anyone is watching with the correct tools to monitor network traffic, then is is not "theoretical", it is possible and it does happen. You don't have to have sophisticated network protocol knowledge to use these tools. This is not an Apple issue as they supplied WiFi security options but it is up the user to implement them. You don't have to be paranoid about using WiFi networks but you do need to be aware of the risks and take precautions that others have mentioned and not assume that all is safe. Also, use WPA/WPA2 whenever possible rather than WEP.

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Answer 7

Pianohero Author

Level 1

1 points

Oct 3, 2009 2:49 PM in response to skymon2

Hello. What WIFI security options do i have and how do i use them? also, you are saying that there are differnet kinds of wifi connections (wep , wpa ,wpa2 etc) , but that i shouldnt use wep . Is this the only kind i should avoid ? or are there other unsafe ones, also, how do i check what kind a connection is ?

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Answer 8

luvlabs

Level 4

3,620 points

Oct 3, 2009 4:33 PM in response to Pianohero

WEP, WPA, and WPA2 are wireless network security protocols. They prevent other people from getting on your network and possibly compromising your data on your computer(s). WPA2-psk is by and far the most secure of the bunch. WEP is easily hacked, WPA has been recently hacked, and WPA2 is felt to be the most secure. WEP also doesn't work very well with Apple devices.

Open networks are not really as unsecured as you think. Any transaction that requires a user name/password is done over HTTPS - even the good old App Store/iTunes is done over HTTPs. In other words, nothing is transmitted in the clear.

Before you get all paranoid (I guess I should say more paranoid), ask yourself the question - Why would anyone want to "steal" my stuff. If you are the average user, you are not too interesting to hackers. If you are a store with credit card numbers then you become a high-value target.

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Answer 9

skymon2

Level 1

20 points

Oct 3, 2009 8:54 PM in response to luvlabs

Not ALL websites that require a login/password are done over HTTPS (SSL). To say open networks are not really as unsecured as we may think is misleading at best. It leads people to believe that there is nothing to worry about. We warn people about WEP because they need to know that they are at risk. WEP is more secure than an open network but we know that it is easily hacked. Whether or not someone will try to hack their WEP connection is not the issue. As for why anyone would want to steal your stuff, why take the chance! If you get complacent over unimportant stuff, you may forget to be careful when it is important. We don't know where and what people will do when connected over open networks so to tell them that no one really cares about their stuff would not be good advice. Be careful out there. Don't do personal or financial transactions unless you have good reason to believe that you are protected. Are you sure your POP3 email account is secure? Verify, don't guess or assume you are secure when it is important.

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Answer 10

David.

Level 4

2,145 points

Oct 1, 2009 1:36 PM in response to Pianohero

Use wifi security (WEP, WPA, etc) and enjoy your Touch.

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