Secure Networks

April 6, 2008

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Today’s world is marked by a lack of time, so we tend to do as much business over the internet as possible, such as loging in our home bank through the internet, paying bills or transfering money online, shopping with our credit cards online, meeting new people on the internet, etc. Now that wireless Internet is becoming more and more common, it is important to know when you have access to secure networks, and when you should be more guarded about what you send out over the world wide web. If you aren’t sure if you are secure or not, you should never take a chance. It is very easy for someone to get your passwords, and even your financial information if you send things over an unsecured network. For the most part, your computer will tell you if a signal is secure or not, but you can’t always rely on that. Sometimes you have to use your common sense.

If you buy a router for your home for your laptop, you are probably going to have a secure network set up in your home. This means that you can use your Internet with the same sense of security that you have when you are hooked up to a physical line. These secure networks will require you to put in a password in order to connect to your signal. This allows you to know that your computers are the only ones on your network, and that your signal is secure.

You should also remember that this connection is not any more secure than your computer though, and you should still have a great firewall installed on your computer.A firewall will protect you from others getting hold of your identity and personal information. Identity theft is one of the worst things that can happen, there are so many cases that is almost scary.

You may notice that your computer will pick up other networks in your area, but most of them will not be secure networks. If you hook up to them, you run the risk of someone getting a hold of your personal information. It’s up to you to decide if it is worth the risk or not. Even though nothing is perfect, the most secure networks are the ones that require complicated pass codes to connect.

When you go to a café or take advantage of Internet WIFI service, you should be aware that most of these are not secure networks. You have to be careful what you do. Though some websites offer a secure login feature, you may not be able to be 100% sure that no one else has access to your information. This doesn’t mean you can’t get online, but it does mean you should use caution.

If you are not sure you are using secure networks, you might want to hold off on checking your banking statements or logging into sensitive accounts until you know you are safe.You can never be too safe, so start taking steps to inform and protect yourself today.

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