Windows Vista Annoyances

Hot Spot Security

One of the greatest computing conveniences of the new millennium is the almighty public wireless hot spot, where and your WiFi laptop can connect to the Internet at high speed, often for free. There are thousands of them at cafés, hotels, airports, and other public locations (see http://www.jiwire.com for a national directory).

But unless you’re careful, you’ll get more than a skinny latte from your local café if you connect to their hot spot—you may get eavesdropped as well. It’s theoretically possible for someone sitting nearby, using free and easy-to-find shareware programs, to “sniff” the transmissions from your laptop. He can intercept email messages you send, names and passwords, and even the images from the Web pages you’re visiting.

Now, there’s no cause for alarm; you don’t have to sell your laptop and move to the Amish country over this. There are, however, a few simple steps that will go a long way toward keeping yourself safe:

• ▸ Tell Windows it’s a public network. When you first connect to a wireless network, Windows Vista asks whether it’s a public or private one. Choosing Public gives you extra built-in protection. Technically speaking, Vista turns off network discovery, the feature that makes your PC announce its presence to others on the network. (Unfortunately, lurking criminals using special scanning software can still find you if they’re determined.)

• ▸ Turn off file sharing. You certainly don’t want any of your over-caffeinated neighbors to get access ...