Basic Security Tips

Fiberlink's Hoffman offered WiFi users a set of guidelines to follow to ensure safe wireless connections to public hotspots. These security tips provide even more experienced wireless users a way to better secure data on laptops that are exposed to public WiFi connections.

1. Honor the Magic Number: Smart password combinations make the difference between secure and hacked wireless connections. For instance, there are 6,634,204,312,890,625 possible password combinations when using eight characters with the 95 keyboard character combinations. Change the user log-on often for wireless router access to make it difficult to guess. Use a combination of alphanumeric characters and other keyboard symbols. Keep the strong password safe by disabling or declining any password-saving features.
2. Know The Power of Three: Hackers use sophisticated blended threats based on a variety of tactics to defeat security. Know your equipment's security blind spots. For example, make sure your laptop is equipped with a blend of security tools. These include antispam, antispyware and a personal firewall. Miss any one of these means forfeiting your security.
3. Block Prying Eyes: Recognize that prying eyes are everywhere. Stop thieves from snooping by making sure your IT department helps you encrypt your e-mail. Prevent unauthorized access to your e-mail with SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption of both login file transfer functions. Otherwise, hackers can read your e-mail as the data moves through cyberspace. To further secure connections to corporate servers and applications, use a VPN.
4. Recognize That Wired and Wireless Are Not Created Equal: A wired connection (digital subscriber line or even dial-up) is inherently more secure than wireless. With wireless connections, data typically is sent unencrypted through the air between the mobile device and an access point near your room, making it very easy for hackers to sniff the data passively from as far away as the parking lot. Defeat remote snooping by disabling the laptop's capability to automatically connect to signals.
5. Don't Trust Your Internet Service Provider: Using a wireless router at home does not make you any safer than connecting on the go. Use the same level of security at home as you do when connected to a public WiFi network. Especially important is password-protecting your home WiFi network.
6. Prepare for the Worst: Assume that sooner or later your laptop will be lost or stolen. Implement a password-protected screen lock. Do not store sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, Social Security numbers, bank account numbers or credit card numbers on the device. Companies should activate administrative device-wiping so that an IT administrator can remotely destroy data and applications on the mobile device in the instance that it is lost or stolen. Lastly, keep data backed up on a PC or server in case your mobile device is gone forever.