Q: WiFi Safety
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Apr 1, 2016 1:21 PMby JimmyCMPIT,"Seen"?
yes, how else would you get a working address
hackable without someone sitting at your computer ask asking for your admin password?
no, you should be fine.
The firewall works on the application level btw:
OS X: About the application firewall - Apple Support.
if it's El Cap you need to DL just go to the Apple Store if you have any doubts about your coffee shop or YMCA.
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Apr 1, 2016 1:51 PMby WZZZ,Certainly could be seen on a pubic Wi-Fi, if someone was around "sniffing." But very unlikely that there would be anyone with the ability or means to spoof the exact site or a download you want using a man-in-the-middle.
But for those occasions when I need to use a public Wi-Fi I have the VPN Cloak, which comes in different packages and can be very inexpensive.
This is not a personal recommendation, since I haven't used it, but seems to get good reviews. The free VPN https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vpn-unlimited-encrypted-secure/id727593140?mt=12
EDITED: sorry, looking further, I'm seeing that it's not free. Just a BS trial teaser.
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Apr 1, 2016 3:30 PMby Linc Davis,It's safe as long as you only connect to secure websites. You know a site is secure when you see a padlock icon in the Safari address bar. Also, you must not have installed any "anti-virus" software (such as "Avast"), or changed the trust settings of any website certificate. If you get an alert that the identity of a server can't be verified, don't just click through it—close the connection.
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Apr 2, 2016 7:02 AMby WZZZ,Linc Davis wrote:
It's safe as long as you only connect to secure websites. You know a site is secure when you see a padlock icon in the Safari address bar.
Not necessarily the case. I was once somewhere which wouldn't allow me to use my VPN. Simply by logging in to my webmail (Verizon SSL, so should have been safe), although the content of my e-mails was encrypted, my two main e-mail addresses used to login were sent in plain text, and captured by someone sniffing, and I was thereupon deluged with spam for months afterwards.
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Apr 2, 2016 7:08 AMby Linc Davis,Although signing in to a properly secured website is safe (nothing is sent in the clear), using a commercial VPN service can only be considered safe to the extent that you trust the people at the other end of the VPN tunnel. They can see all your traffic, and if you paid for the service with a credit card, they know your identity. Do you have any more reason to trust them than random strangers at a public hotspot? I would never use such a service.
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Apr 2, 2016 8:42 AMby WZZZ,Although signing in to a properly secured website is safe (nothing is sent in the clear)....
As I already explained, not the case here. VZ tech, in fact, told me that on login, data and passwords are sent encrypted, but not e-mail addresses, which are transmitted in plain text, in the clear. This was true at least for the time when this occurred--it may have changed by now.
As for the security of VPNs, your mileage may vary, but I trust the one I have been using for the past 3 years. Nothing nefarious has resulted in this time. Of course, as they are located in the US, they would be subject to releasing data upon being served by a valid govt. request.
https://blog.getcloak.com/2013/05/21/updated-privacy-policy/
https://www.getcloak.com/policies/
And for what it's worth, which may sometimes not be worth very much, since reviews can be paid for or be populated by shills, they appear to get excellent reviews from reputable sources.
Also, re the supposed ironclad security of SSL sites, there have been occasions when certificates have been faked (if the CA authority gets hacked), spoofed or simply self-signed
If I care enough, I will test an SSL site with Qualys.
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Apr 2, 2016 9:53 AMby WZZZ,And if you look at the results of different Qualys SSL tests, you will soon realize that not all SSLs are created equally. Many things factor into the security of an SSL site: the CA authority used, the use of deprecated or unsafe protocols, vulnerabilities to known exploits, Perfect Forward Secrecy used or not, and much more. Some SSLs are just one step above non-SSL, but will still show a padlock icon.
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Apr 2, 2016 12:43 PMby ginnyp,Wow, seems there’s a lot to figure out, as data files seem to be getting larger, even just for browsing, and cell phone companies are still pretty proud of their data (price wise), and WiFi isn’t at all safe. We live sort of in the country. Never have had a lot of options, so for some time, I’ve relied on wireless data for my phone and my computer, via a hotspot my phone creates. My data also follows me to a place at the lake where we spend a lot of time in the summer.
What’s strange, it seems the first year you are under contract with a wireless carrier, your amount of data is very sufficient, but when you get into your second year, it seems to get used a lot faster. I really wonder if they do this on purpose, to try to force you to change contracts? (I’ve experienced this first with Verizon, now with AT&T. Unfortunately these are the only two carriers that have good data and phone service the places I’m at the most.)
One variable that may be affecting me now is my new Macbook Pro. I don’t know if it “draws” more data through the hotspot than my 2008 MBP did? I don’t even know an easy way to tell. (Guess I could try to do the same stuff on the old one for a week, then on the new one, and see how my usage looks? Not exactly scientific, but maybe?) If I try to do as much as possible on my iPhone, my data does stretch longer. I know when using a phone to surf, a lot of the web is “optimized” for the phone. However, I like my keyboard and larger screen to do much on the web. AT&T is also now offering some TV packages with unlimited data, but this wouldn’t do me any good at the lake, and I have a large antenna in the attic that brings in all the primary networks for free.
This discussion has helped me understand WiFi better, and where the security risks are, and the safety options with their fallacies. Thank you everyone for your input!
Ginny
