Wireless networks are easily hack , and public networks are the least unassailable . I wo n’t take any chances ; I ’ll always write in code my wireless connection .
Set up WPA encryption
Security : 4 Hassle : 1
Assuming that you own the wireless groundwork station you ’re using , configure it to utilise WPA or WPA2 encryption ( seeProtect Your Mac ) . You ’ll have to choose a password and introduce that password on each estimator that connect to the internet ; be sure to watch my advice on word when you do so ( see I Will Use Good Passwords ) . Remember that you may use the keychain on each calculator to remember those passwords so that you have to enter them only once .
You could skip over this footstep if you live far from any potential eavesdroppers . But even then , it does n’t hurt to lay out up WPA encryption — it ’s a one - time modification that could keep you safer later on .
Use a VPN in public places
certificate : 4 Hassle : 2
If you ’re not connect to yourownbase station — but instead are using a public access tip , whether pay or free — your wireless security system is at risk . Public hotspot rarely practice WPA encryption , and even the few that do are n’t of necessity secure . That ’s because WPA protects the data point only between your reckoner and the base place ; you have no way of knowing what ’s happening between the wireless substructure station and the cyberspace . So the safest tactic is to use a VPN , or virtual private internet , which encrypts all the data sent between your calculator and the Internet . It ’s the most reliable way to keep anyone from watching your data when you ’re connecting wirelessly on the route .
legion seller offer Mac - compatible VPN services , such asWiTopia($40 ) andPublicVPN($60 ) ; at least one — AnchorFree’sHotspot buckler — is loose . After downloading and installing the software package , you only select Connect from the Hotspot Shield bill of fare and hold back a few second base for a connexion substance to appear in Safari . Thereafter , all your wireless traffic will be encrypted .
Security standards
Do n’t get us wrong : when we say that safe calculation is a matter of changing some of your personal calculation habits , we ’re not saying you should ignore other security precautions ; we ’re just saying those precautions may not be enough on their own . Here , just to cue you , are the five thing all Mac users should be doing to keep their systems secure ( seemore certificate stepsyou can take ):
[ Joe Kissell is the fourth-year editor program ofTidBitsand the generator ofTake Control of Passwords in Mac o X(Take Control Books , 2006 ) . ]
