There’s been a lot of buzz this week about a USA Today reporter who was hacked by another passenger onboard an American Airlines flight recently:
Continue reading: Is Airplane WiFi Safe?
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
My work email on the laptop and mobile are automatically encrypted through an SSH tunnel to the Corp email servers - so I don't need to use a VPN.
For personal email, I use the Gmail app on iOS, so that's also automatically encrypted.
I only resort to using VPN to get to Netflix - and that's mostly not needed nowadays since they blew open all the countries I travel to!
But VPN of my choice is STRONGVPN from ReliableHosting.com
I always use Hola VPN.. It is free on your PC/laptop.
Also has an iphone/adroid app for $4.99 a mounth or $49.99 a year.
hola.org/
@sebastianschipr Don't use Hola! It has been shown to let others use your internet connection
PIA is a great one to use and you can also install it on your router if needed!
Are you sure about what you said in the beginning about the ISP being vulnerable? I always though https was secure all the way from your browser to the target site. It didn't matter if you were on public open wifi. Someone could see your encrypted data and maybe where it was going, but they wouldn't be able to read it.
Witopia is decent but their mobile setup is a bit more "manual". Currently using ExpressVPN - works great, starts up automatically when I boot up my PC (which is to say I like to ALWAYS be using VPN on any public network).
Anyone connecting to ANY public wifi really SHOULD be worried.
I agree with just about everything here, but I think you missed out on what I (and many in the industry) consider the best VPN client, Cloak.
Tiffany,
I am an IT professional and agree with your tips, well written and easy to understand.
A VPN is not always necessary but it does add a layer of security which never hurts.
Knowing that nothing over the internet is ever 100% safe, you can minimize your risks.
When traveling be careful when connecting to a wireless network. Make sure that the name of the access point you are connecting to is truly the one the hotel or restaurant is providing. Many times there are a few to choose from and some of those could be someone trying to do something malicious. Another point to make is when you are on a guest wireless network like GoGo or one at a hotel you have access to the internet but you can not see or access other devices using the same WiFi. There is no Local Network connecting everyone. This is not always the case at some local Cafe using a home wifi router. Most using hardware designed for a business guest network will work this way. This is the first red flag which makes me not believe the USA today story.
What everyone should have:
1) Good AntiVirus Software (one which is updated often and protects against viruses, malware, rootkits, etc)
2) A firewall - While at home your router is also your firewall (probably) but when on the road it is important to have one installed. This prevents incoming traffic access to your computer unless it is something you have previously allowed.
3) VPN - While the firewall prevents things coming in, once they leave your computer it is outside your control. When you are on a secure website (https) the data is encrypted on your computer and decrypted at the other end. (and vice versa) A VPN does a similar thing except between you and the endpoint of the VPN. First do you trust the VPN company, who's to say they do not have a rouge employee steeling information? While a VPN is another layer of security I put this down in the list because like other users have said when browsing on secure sites you are transmitting this data encrypted. Same goes for logging into your bank, they are all https sites. But not everything is and it does help while traveling outside the country and you want to access something which is limited to the United States only. There are also different levels of encryption which I will not get into here.
People should also know that a VPN will slow things down. You are relying on the connection at the other end as well as the time it takes to encrypt/decrypt the data. Typically not bad but when you are on a very bad GoGo internet connection to begin with it could be like pulling teeth.
Which brings me to my last and most important point. I am fairly certain the USA Today Reporter made this story up. Without getting into too many technical details it really is too far fetched and too much of a coincidence IMO. I think he has watched too many movies and really has no clue how this all works. Yes Hacking/Hackers are real. Yes you need to be safe when using the internet. No it is not like the movies.
Kudos Tiffany for one of the most useful and best blogs I've read. Easy to understand, yet still comprehensive for the novice. Also shout outs to the community for their complementary suggestions. Thank you.
Other useful piece of software: an "https everywhere" extension, like the one in Chrome, to force all traffic to go to https if a website offers it. It even hides your google searches from your ISP and others on your network.
However, a VPN does not protect you fully, as the easiest attack on a network is trying to login to another computer on the same network if it has a weak password, or folders shared to the world, or an open bluetooth connection. A firewall helps, but doesn't protect against weak passwords!
That USA Today story is suspect. The reporter says that the guy behind him tapped him on the shoulder and said he had read all the emails he sent and received during the flight, and "proved" it by summarizing some of their contents. OK, but it was the guy sitting behind him who had all this information about his e-mails. Was the reporter not the slightest bit curious as to whether the guy just read the e-mails over his shoulder, rather than by hacking into his wifi?
I can't believe how credulous this reporter is.
And one more thing. How did the supposed hacker know which passenger it was who was the reporter? By hacking into the wifi system, all he would have seen is that someone's e-mails were a reporter's. There would have been no way to tell which of the people on the plane was the reporter.
Unless, of course, he didn't hack into the wifi system at all, but read the e-mails on the reporter's screen.
Unfortunately some airlines block VPN use. Supposedly this is to prevent VOIP usage, which is harder to prevent if you're on a VPN.
Hi Tiffany,
Great article and insight into online security and VPNs. But I am surprised the focus of your article was on the protection of data rather than human life itself. Please review the following urls to discover what we can't see is hurting us. Wifi exposure is unhealthy, especially on planes:
http://www.naturalnews.com/042323_brain_cancer_risk_cell_phones_mobile_devices.html
http://bodyecology.com/articles/something_in_the_air_can_hurt_you.php
I travel to China a lot and have used all of the above services but many of them get blocked by the great firewall. The only service that I have found is consistently reliable around the world is ExpressVPN. More expensive than the other (cheaper if you buy annual plan for $99) but the service is exceptional. https://www.expressvpn.xyz?referrer_id=9129684&utm_campaign=referrals&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=referral_dashboard
I have a Netgear router (Nighthawk R7000) and it has built-in VPN functionality. With an app on my iPhone or Windows computer, I am able to establish a VPN connection that is secure/encrypted and don't have a monthly/annual fee to pay. It has worked on GoGo and in many other places. I have not tested it against internet filtering in countries like China, but it theoretically will work.
I think you are not safe when you use any open network whether it is in air plane or at some school. The best way to protect your data and privacy online is to connect through a VPN. If you are a mac user than this will help you alot
http://www.bestvpn.guide/best-vpn-for-mac/