Hey gang, for today’s TommyLog Tech, I want to talk about being safe while on the traveling on the road. For those who are frequent travelers by air, you know there are many safety checkpoints along the way. Make sure sure that all your gels and liquids are in a clear zip-lock bag, please empty your pockets, take off your shoes and belts and put your laptops in the bins. You all know that TSA security checkpoint drill.
But how many of you are as safe on the road when it comes to surfing the web? Free public WIFI is available wherever you go from the airport, to your hotel rooms to the local coffee shop. While this Internet access is free and plentiful, it may not be without prying eyes. You need to always play heads up ball when using public WIFI and follow these 6 simple rules found in this article from Verizon Wireless:
1. Protect yourself by avoiding credit card transactions while using unencrypted Wi-Fi hotspots—such as those offered free in many businesses and restaurants.
2. It’s recommended that you send personal information only to web sites that you trust and that are fully encrypted (indicated by an https at the beginning of the address).
3. Log out of the sites you visit, and turn off Wi-Fi connections when not in use.
4. Yes, it’s a pain, but be sure to create a unique password for every site you use. In the event that a hacker does obtain your login credentials, this practice will limit their access to only one of your sites, not all of them.
5. For added safety, install browser security add-ons or plug-ins on your device, and consider using a virtual private network (VPN) that adds encryption between your device and the Internet—even over unsecured networks.
6. Finally, make sure your computer has the latest firewall software, security patches and software updates.
Surfing the Internet safely while on the road by using the Verizon mobile hotspot on my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is totally Tommy Approved!
Verizon has more information on how to stay safe while using WIFI on the road. HERE
[DISCLAIMER — I’m one of the cool kids who has been asked to play with and test technology for Verizon. They asked me to test and share my thoughts. All my words are original and my own.]
