Safety when using public wifi

[aroundincircles]

Hi everyone,

I want to upgrade my security. Currently I'm running Kaspersky, using LastPass with Yubikey, and have the LAN locked and not broadcasting. I also have a non-admin user ID setup for times when I'm not on my own network.

I am considering adding desktop/disc encryption and perhaps getting another dongle/token other than YubiKey, if there is something better.

There are times I have to use wifi outside of my office (client sites, when traveling, etc.), so I'm looking for some suggestions.

My laptop does have client files on it, so I'd like something decent but affordable.

Should I add the desktop/disc encryption or is there a better way?

Thanks in advance for any replies.
AG

 

[lxskllr]

You should use a vpn on public wifi, and full disk encryption for the computer. If the files that need protection are manageable, you could encrypt them individually. It comes down to protecting what you can't afford to lose.

 

[Zodiark1593]

Anything that needs protection probably shouldn't be on the PC when using public wifi, or at least, should be encrypted and supplemented with robust anti-spyware measures.

Depending on the wifi card, your Mac address can also be altered. While in and of itself won't protect your files, it can make it more difficult for anyone to track your frequently visited spots.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Firewall (to block access to stuff like RPC and other exploitable ports) + VPN to encrypt all your traffic.

 

[SecurityTheatre]

Hi everyone,

I want to upgrade my security. Currently I'm running Kaspersky, using LastPass with Yubikey, and have the LAN locked and not broadcasting. I also have a non-admin user ID setup for times when I'm not on my own network.

I am considering adding desktop/disc encryption and perhaps getting another dongle/token other than YubiKey, if there is something better.

There are times I have to use wifi outside of my office (client sites, when traveling, etc.), so I'm looking for some suggestions.

My laptop does have client files on it, so I'd like something decent but affordable.

Should I add the desktop/disc encryption or is there a better way?

Thanks in advance for any replies.
AG

Truecrypt for your disk encryption needs is about as good as you will find (and it's free).

Also, as was said, use a VPN for your traffic and ensure the firewall is turned on.

That should really do an adequate job.

 

[PrincessFrosty]

Encrytping files on the disk is only really necessary if you're worried about device theft or offline access of data, if you're already online using a device through wifi then disk encryption won't help because presumably you'll have your HDD mounted at the time.

While on a wireless network make sure to be running a firewall which is set to block traffic not originating from your computer, the firewall that comes with windows is good for this out of the box.

The other concern is people snooping your traffic across the wireless, make sure to use SSL with whatever webservers you connect to, if you're browsing regular http and not https then any data back/forth can be captured in the clear, people can also grab your cookies and do session hijacking.

The best bet is to run a VPN service on your machine and VPN tunnel out of the network encrypting all traffic in/out for maximum security.

 

[John Connor]

VPN or SSH + Comodo firewall to block man in the middle attempts. I would go one step further and install Hitman pro Alert.

 

[Chiefcrowe]

John Connor, i've never heard of hitmanpro alert. How is it and what is your experience with it?