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Prevent Wi-Fi Eavesdroppers from Hijacking Your Accounts

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Date: Sep 20, 2011.

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Password Sniffing and Account Hijacking Techniques
On Public Wi-Fi Hotspots
On Your Own Network
Securing Individual Sites and Services
Summary

Article Description

Password sniffing and account hijacking have become more prevalent in recent years because of Wi-Fi and software that make these hacking techniques so easy. Eric Geier shows you how to protect your privacy when logging on to online accounts that don't always use secure connections, like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Amazon.

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Wi-Fi Hotspots: Setting Up Public Wireless Internet Access

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On Public Wi-Fi Hotspots

The best way to ensure that all your Internet traffic and website login credentials are safe when using unencrypted networks is to connect to a Virtual Private Network (VPN). It prevents others on the local network from seeing any of your Internet traffic. Check with your employer if they offer VPN connections. If not, you can use a VPN service, such as the free Hotspot Shield for your computer or iPhone; or ProXPN for your computer, iPhone, and other mobile devices. On smartphones using the Android OS, consider using the SSH Tunnel app.

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