graduate_owner":167r1f1h said:
So by an unsecure wifi, do you mean someone using wifi does not have a firewall? Or is there something else we need to invest in to protect ourselves when making online purchases?
K
Basic wi-fi is unsecured. That means that whatever data you are transmitting between your phone/laptop/whatever and your wifi access point (usually your router) can be tapped into very easily by anyone within range, a wifi enabled laptop or mobile and the right sort of sniffing software. It might not BE a problem if the program you are using on your phone/laptop is sending the data in an encrypted format...ie you are accessing an https site and not a normal http site. But any email traffic is usually sent in the clear (ie not encrypted and easily readable) and which is why you should never send confidential details such as credit card details etc via email. It can be read anywhere down the line by anyone who can intercept the data stream.
So to guard against that most wifi routers will have one or more variants of security that encrypts the data between your phone and your wifi access point.
Hope that helps?
The other thing to bear in mind is that unless you encrypt your wifi then anyone can come along and piggyback off your connection. and so use your connection to the internet for their own nefarious means. Not a good idea if, say, you live in a block of flats and there is a paedophile accessing the web but using your connection.
