Addicted
to logging to free public WiFi wireless hotspots? Nowadays plenty of
places, such Starbucks Coffee, McDonald’s, Coffee Beans and Tea Leaf,
KFC, airports, libraries, community centers and eateries offering free
Wi-Fi access connections as a way to attract customers. There are even
more wireless access points that been broadcasting without any WEP, WPA
or WPA2 encryption for everybody to connect without any crack.
As good as free is, there is some cons and disadvantages free Wi-Fi hotspots too. The main concern is security. Unlike wired network which depends on physical access control on security. For wireless access point, if you can connect to the WiFi without a password and browse the Internet, so do everyone else around. Been a public wireless hotspot also means that the network connectivity from laptop to the AP is not encrypted plain text, and hackers or someone with malicious intent can easily sniff the data, credit card numbers, user name and passwords credentials transmitted with a sniffer such as WireShack.
As good as free is, there is some cons and disadvantages free Wi-Fi hotspots too. The main concern is security. Unlike wired network which depends on physical access control on security. For wireless access point, if you can connect to the WiFi without a password and browse the Internet, so do everyone else around. Been a public wireless hotspot also means that the network connectivity from laptop to the AP is not encrypted plain text, and hackers or someone with malicious intent can easily sniff the data, credit card numbers, user name and passwords credentials transmitted with a sniffer such as WireShack.
Hotspot Shield, a product of
AnchorFree, is a security solution that helps to fix and solve
unencrypted wireless network connection issue. Hotspot Shield keeps the
Internet connection secure and anonymous on public networks by creating a
virtual private network (VPN) between the notebook, laptop, desktop
computer or iPhone and
AnchorFree Internet gateway. This impenetrable tunnel prevents snoopers
and hackers from viewing users’ email, instant messages, credit card
information or anything else you send over the network, unlike XeroBank
Browser which protects only web browsing using its own product. Of
course, whether you want to trust or believe the data transmitted over
the Hotspot Shield server is another issue, but at least it protects
Internet connection from local sniffers.
To use Hotspot Shield, simply download and install the Hotspot Shield
setup installer from here. Then run Hotspot Shield by double clicking
on Hotspot Shield Launch shortcut
on desktop or Start menu. A Hotspot Shield icon will be displayed on
system tray or notification area. To connect to Internet via Hotspot
Shield VPN, simply select Connect by right clicking on the icon, or browse directly tohttp://www.hotspotshield.com/launch/, and then click on Run Hotspot Shield green button.
Hotspot Shield client will start VPN proccess of waiting for server
response authentication, pulling options, assigning IP address and
checking for updates. Once connected, the whole outgoing and incoming
network traffic is tunneling through the secure Hotspot Shield VPN.
0 comments
Post a Comment