Internet Security

I'm not an expert on internet security and identity theft, but I do know some stuff.

Basically, if you are connecting to a wireless connection that isn't password protected (WEP of WPA) then someone could connect to your computer and see anything you type in and/or any website you go to. This means that every time you jump over to Starbucks or Caribou to drink a latte and surf the web, you are riskin' someone stealing any username/password that you type in and checking out any emails you write. Even if the passwords are encrypted (the ***** come up instead of the characters) a decent hacker can get that info using programs that are available online.

What you can do:

• Don't use Internet Explorer. Download a different browser such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari.
• Don't buy stuff online at these places. Some websites may not be protected. Avoid transactions where you will type in your credit card information.
• In Gmail, you can go to settings (in the upper right) and choose the option "Use https always". This makes not only the login https protected, but also all the emails you send and receive. It's supposed to slow things down some, but I haven't even noticed.

Anyways, do some research if you don't believe me. It's a big deal apparently.