The Problems of Web Surfing in Public Places

Krishna Dagli writes to mention a New York Times article about the dangers of public web surfing. The article looks at the sloppy habits people have when using public terminals, and the issues that using a wireless signal in a public place. From the article: "Michael Sellitto, a graduate student studying international security at Harvard, said that even though he encrypted any sensitive data on his laptop, he planned to sign up for a service like HotSpotVPN to add another level of security when he is traveling, especially when using poorly protected networks at cafes and hotels. 'The problem is, the really good people have written sniffer programs so that the less-sophisticated people have access to the same technology,' Mr. Sellitto said. 'Say a Microsoft Word document gets transmitted. The sniffer program will collect that and someone could open it up on their computer.'"

Comments

Re:Nobody ever logs out.

[Savage-Rabbit]

You can also have fun with Windows Workstations which people often leave unattended for extended periods of time without logging out. Favorites include:

• Take a screenshot of the desktop, set it as the background, move all icons off the desktop, minimize all windows and hide the taskbar.
• Exchange selected commonly heard system sounds for moans, farting sounds etc.
• Exchange the regular Windows cursor for one that shows a hand making a rude sign involving the middle finger every time the system is busy.
• Fire up the e-mail client and send a mail to everybody in the Workstation Users address book inviting them to a tupperware party at his/her house.