Summary: Wireless networks at hotels, airports, coffee shops, restaurants – even city parks – means that you can stay connected while travelling this summer. It's really fantastic when you think about it. However, with increased freedom comes greater risk for viruses. Learn how to keep yourself protected.

Imagine: You can make reservations at a popular eatery, get driving directions to the museum you want to visit, check the weather, and email and text friends and family, all while sipping an orange juice or snacking on a sweet roll in the lobby of your hotel! The downside to this untethered connectivity is that the crooks out there know people will take advantage of public Wi-Fi areas (known as ‘hot spots’), and you can be vulnerable simply through carelessness. Let’s take a closer look at how to be safe this summer while staying connected.

Most business owners make it quick and easy to use their hot spots. In order to minimize login requirements and avoid compatibility issues, they disable much of the security built into their wireless devices. Obviously, the business owners do this so it's easier for you – their customer – to use the Internet. Everyone is happy, right? Well, not really. Because the business owner has disabled much of the security on their device, your plain text (private, confidential, and personal) passes unprotected through the air.

Packet sniffers - These programs allow the interception of wireless transmissions via data packets. Packets are the form in which data is organized and sent across networks. If the packets are unencrypted, someone with a packet sniffer can see the information as plain text. That means your passwords, credit card numbers, and other information can be picked up and used by someone else.

Decoding Tools - Even "secure" hot spots can leave you exposed. Tools for decoding encrypted wireless communications are easily found and allow hackers to crack encryption keys. That means you still need to be on guard when you visit a hot spot that provides each visitor with passwords or other signs of secured networks.

Evil Twin or Wi-phishing - As with ordinary phishing, wi-phishing puts your identity in danger. Wi-phishing, or The Evil Twin, is a popular ruse in which criminals spoof wireless networks to deceive people like you into divulging confidential information by setting up a fake hot spot that you might innocently log into. This "evil twin" is ready to steal passwords, financial information, or whatever else you might be transmitting. Here's how it might work: Your coffee shop (or anywhere else you may be) uses a wireless service provider that charges a connection fee. To connect, you must provide a credit card number and certain personal information. In a wi-phishing scam, someone pre-empts the hot spot's wireless signal with one of his own by creating a "dummy" network that contains the name of the airline, hotel or coffee shop, replacing the sign-up page with a fake look-alike. You end up supplying your information to the spoofer, not the real hot spot provider. Once you're on the spoofed hot spot, you may be redirected to other fraudulent pages. The bottom line is that you’ve just given your credit card information to a phony site.

Make sure you sign onto the legitimate free connections in a public hot spot since criminals have figured out how to display their own "computer to computer" networks with names that sound like the official Wi-Fi network in the area. When viewing available wireless networks, make sure the one you connect to is the correct network and appears as a wireless network, not a connection to some hacker’s computer.

Other mobile devices that connect to the Internet, send and receive email, facilitate instant messaging, and store your personal information are also attractive targets for cybercriminals. If you’re travelling this summer, be sure to be careful with these devices too! Viruses written for a cell phone, smart phone, or a PDA operating system are out there, but not too common. On the other hand, text phishing is a big problem.

The most obvious threat to your handheld device is perhaps the most overlooked: Physical theft or loss. Loaded with information-and valuable in and of themselves-PDAs and smart phones are common targets for physical theft. Small and unobtrusive, they’re also easy to lose.

Here’s what you can do this summer to protect yourself on these smaller devices:

While away from home, save your most private communications and transactions for a more secure environment and treat public hot spots like the transparent environment they really are. Remember, there is no guarantee to their safety. Given their wide open nature, there's no way to know for sure that your privacy is really private when using public hot spots. Basically, everything is potentially available for somebody else to see.

You know I love to hear from you. Please write to me at marian@norton.com.

Product: Norton Internet Security: The fastest virus, spyware and internet protection you can buy
Product: Norton Smartphone Security: Mobile antivirus and antispam safeguards your privacy against mobile threats
Wi-Fi Security for the Public Hotspot
Making Handheld Security a Priority
Tips for a Safe Wi-Fi Connection