WiFi Hackers/Snoopers

[cmg]

Hola peregrinos!
Has anybody been attacked by a hacker while using WiFi along the Camino? Just considering the extra expense of a VPN.
Cheers

 

[David]

Fascinating - am looking forward to the replies - I haven't heard of this happening ... though, one of my credit cards was cloned two years ago - Barclays were on to it and refunded the money stolen and issued me a new card - they said that it most likely happened on Camino .. paying for a meal, where the card is taken away rather than paying at table or going to the desk to personally use the machine.

 

[Camembert]

Fascinating - am looking forward to the replies - I haven't heard of this happening ... though, one of my credit cards was cloned two years ago - Barclays were on to it and refunded the money stolen and issued me a new card - they said that it most likely happened on Camino .. paying for a meal, where the card is taken away rather than paying at table or going to the desk to personally use the machine.

Cash is king on the caminho .
Small amounts of cash money. In bigger villages and towns are cashing machines. Much safer.

 

[David]

Cash is king on the caminho .
Small amounts of cash money. In bigger villages and towns are cashing machines. Much safer.

Indeed, and I always use cash - well, obviously not always!

 

[wisepilgrim]

.. paying for a meal, where the card is taken away rather than paying at table or going to the desk to personally use the machine.

Just a reminder to others, the server is meant to bring the swiper to the table. The easiest way to make sure that they do so is simply to not hand over the card until they bring the machine.

I honestly don't think I have ever seen this happen at a restaurant, the cloning of a card I mean. The type of operations that are sophisticated enough to have the technology to clone don't need a storefront as cover... they just grab your data while you walk through the streets.

So, if this is happening on the Camino I can only imagine that it happens in the bigger capital cities.

 

[freeflyer123]

I keep my card in a special card holder that no machine can read through. But I do agree that you should never let your card out of your sight. My husband bought something small from a computer shop once (not on the camino at the time) and the next thing we knew was receiving a letter through the post asking if he was happy with the purchase of a very expensive computer (which he hadn't bought of course). The police did a follow-up immediately as it had even been delivered to another address but of course there was no sign of it. We were reimbursed by the bank but we learned a very valuable lesson.

 

[Arctic_Alex]

Fascinating - am looking forward to the replies - I haven't heard of this happening ... though, one of my credit cards was cloned two years ago - Barclays were on to it and refunded the money stolen and issued me a new card - they said that it most likely happened on Camino .. paying for a meal, where the card is taken away rather than paying at table or going to the desk to personally use the machine.

... never give away your card. Most vendors who take your card with them to their office do not mean any harm, but it is always a risk. Good to always have some cash with you to avoid such situations.

 

[Arctic_Alex]

Hola peregrinos!
Has anybody been attacked by a hacker while using WiFi along the Camino? Just considering the extra expense of a VPN.
Cheers

Most people will never know WHERE the WiFi was compromised as often you will realise the consequences much later. Hence there might not be many Camino stories about being hacked.
But I assume there are free compromised honeypot-wifis in any larger city on this planet. Hence using a VPN whenever you connect to a free WiFi is no bad advice.

 

[David]

Re open wi-fi hacking possibilities, I use Avira anti-virus and that has a VPN module built in.

 

[Prentiss Riddle]

I suspect that I’m more at risk for wifi snooping in my home town than I am on the Camino. I routinely use a VPN. I chose TunnelBear because it’s super easy to use on my laptop and phone, and even has a Chrome plugin. (The plugin is handy at the office, where I have one browser for work and an unsnoopable one for personal use - it’s none of my employer’s business if I visit the Camino Forum on my lunch hour!)

Downsides of the VPN: I occasionally have to turn it off and back on if it slows down; and I can’t use it for Netflix or some other streaming services, which detect and block VPNs.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

VPN is always worth the small amount it costs. My laptop, my two tablets and my phone are all connected through a VPN. Be very dubious about "free WiFi" that isn't tagged with your hostal's name - it could be that scammer sitting across the coffee shop from you just waiting to farm your details.

 

[Prentiss Riddle]

Card skimming is a completely separate issue. You should never enter your card info on a website unless it uses HTTPS (the little lock icon in your browser). If HTTPS is on, then the information you send to the site and vice-versa is unsnoopable - although the sites you visit are visible on the network.

The business about bringing a credit card machine to the table was a surprise to me, an American. Here in the US the waiter always takes the card from table to register and no one thinks anything of it. At a bar it’s routine to “open a tab,” which means the register retains your card number until you leave and the bartender closes it. Part of the point of using a credit card is to watch for fraud and issue a refund if it happens.

Debit card skimming, which can directly empty your bank account without any possibility of a refund, is a bigger deal, and that’s where sophisticated ATM skimmers enter the picture.

 

[t2andreo]

I use NordVPN on BOTH my Macbook and iPhone. They offer a special package deal for up to 5 or 6 devices for multiple years. I think my per month cost is about USD 3 dollars. I have a total of five devices covered.

Since using it, I noticed that the amount of spam mail I received is WAY down. It took a while, but the volume of junk decreased monthly. Now I am down to a handful of stupid emails monthly.

NOTE: Some websites DO NOT like it when you use a VPN and will not work. The most notable in my experience is Amazon.com. So, only when using that website, do I turn the VPN off temporarily. However, Amazon works fine, even with a VPN on my iPhone, if I use the Amazon app, instead of the web browser.

Hope this helps.

 

[Arctic_Alex]

(...)
NOTE: Some websites DO NOT like it when you use a VPN and will not work. The most notable in my experience is Amazon.com. So, only when using that website, do I turn the VPN off temporarily. However, Amazon works fine, even with a VPN on my iPhone, if I use the Amazon app, instead of the web browser.

Using ExpressVPN myself. But I never had any trouble with the European Amazon sites via various browsers. But I am not sure about Amazon.com .

 

[Tuaruin]

Another vote here for Nord VPN. I’ve used a few VPN’s and it’s been the best & easiest for me. I increasingly think it’s becoming a necessity in bolstering ones online security whether at home or abroad.

 

[Tom Vickers]

I have given up using WiFi on the Camino. There are so many people trying to upload images etc during breakfast in albergues that the connection slows to a crawl. I have sufficient mobile data on my phone to make connections without bothering with WiFi and if I have to download anything to my tablet (daily newspaper etc) I generate a hotspot on my phone and connect the tablet to my own private network.

 

[Michael-FL]

Just a reminder to others, the server is meant to bring the swiper to the table. The easiest way to make sure that they do so is simply to not hand over the card until they bring the machine.

I honestly don't think I have ever seen this happen at a restaurant, the cloning of a card I mean. The type of operations that are sophisticated enough to have the technology to clone don't need a storefront as cover... they just grab your data while you walk through the streets.

So, if this is happening on the Camino I can only imagine that it happens in the bigger capital cities.

So, keeping your card in a “swipe-proof” protector might be a good idea?

 

[Former member 49149]

I use NordVPN on BOTH my Macbook and iPhone. They offer a special package deal for up to 5 or 6 devices for multiple years. I think my per month cost is about USD 3 dollars. I have a total of five devices covered.

Since using it, I noticed that the amount of spam mail I received is WAY down. It took a while, but the volume of junk decreased monthly. Now I am down to a handful of stupid emails monthly.

NOTE: Some websites DO NOT like it when you use a VPN and will not work. The most notable in my experience is Amazon.com. So, only when using that website, do I turn the VPN off temporarily. However, Amazon works fine, even with a VPN on my iPhone, if I use the Amazon app, instead of the web browser.

Hope this helps.

at the risk of getting a lesson I will not understand, please tell me more about vpn. I know it exists. What is it? What service can it offer me? Thank you in advance, as I know you will set to with gusto to illuminate my ignorance! you are one of the mines of information on the forum, t2andreao...

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Virtual private network - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Lots of software includes it, such as Norton. Check your computer protection software and see if VPN is a feature for your mobile.

 

[Former member 49149]

Virtual private network - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Lots of software includes it, such as Norton. Check your computer protection software and see if VPN is a feature for your mobile.

Thanks, falcon269. I will check that out. I am just lazy. I work on a need to know basis, and am an intuitive learner. So, if I discover I need to know about vpn, you bet I will learn!

 

[Icacos]

So, keeping your card in a “swipe-proof” protector might be a good idea?

Sounds like that should be all credit cards, and debit cards too.

 

[trecile]

I have given up using WiFi on the Camino. There are so many people trying to upload images etc during breakfast in albergues that the connection slows to a crawl. I have sufficient mobile data on my phone to make connections without bothering with WiFi and if I have to download anything to my tablet (daily newspaper etc) I generate a hotspot on my phone and connect the tablet to my own private network.

Same here. My US carrier, T-mobile, gives me unlimited data while I'm traveling abroad. And last year I discovered that I could pay a small amount more for the months that I'm in Spain to boost my data speeds and also have the ability to make my phone into a hot spot.
I found that many of the albergue, bar, and hostal Wi-Fi networks to be frustratingly slow.

 

[trecile]

So, keeping your card in a “swipe-proof” protector might be a good idea?

I've read a bunch of articles on this topic - Google "Is RFID protection necessary", and the answer is no. Apparently, while it is feasible that thiefs on street corners can skim your card as you walk by, in reality it just doesn't happen. And modern credit cards use encryption techniques that can foil a wouldbbe thief. Here's one of many articles I found explaining this.

Why you don’t need an RFID-blocking wallet

RFID wallets, sleeves and clothing are security snake oil. You don't need RFID protection because there is no RFID crime.

www.csoonline.com

 

[wisepilgrim]

So, keeping your card in a “swipe-proof” protector might be a good idea?

Honestly the best option is to have the 'tap to pay' feature disabled by your bank.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

A security threat to be aware of is something called juice-jacking. This is when you want to charge your device and you connect it to a machine to do that (get juice). If there is a data connection between the two devices your data may be hijacked and/or a virus installed. You can prevent this easily with something called a USB condom (so called because it offers infection protection). This is a small dongle/gizmo; you insert the male end into the charging port on your device and then insert the male end of the charging cable into the female side of the USB condom. This cable could either be yours or the one permanently attached to the charging device. It works simply; it has a physical wired connection between the power pins on the male and female sides but no connection at all between the data pins. These are cheap (about $10 US) and can even be a do-it-yourself project using old gear.

As an aside, for our camino I set up the debit card account at my back to collect an automatic weekly transfer of funds from another account. This kept the daily amount in the account smaller in case someone, somehow, managed to empty the account.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I work on a need to know basis,

Life is an open book test.

 

[Former member 49149]

Virtual private network - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Lots of software includes it, such as Norton. Check your computer protection software and see if VPN is a feature for your mobile.

a good few years ago my niece's husband told me I did not need protection for my Mac. I believed him. I still do! That has saved me enough to gofundme for the ingles this summer, now that I think of it...I will follow up, though, seriously, and thank you for your kindness in replying.

 

[t2andreo]

at the risk of getting a lesson I will not understand, please tell me more about vpn. I know it exists. What is it? What service can it offer me? Thank you in advance, as I know you will set to with gusto to illuminate my ignorance! you are one of the mines of information on the forum, t2andreao...

Simply put, a Virtual Private Network or VPN is a piece of software or an app on a computer or smartphone that encrypts and reroutes all your internet traffic including e-mail, so it appears to be coming from somewhere else. For example, I can tell my computer or iPhone in the US to log onto a VPN server in the UK, or France. This will make the target I am trying to connect to think my request is coming from France or the UK, and not where I am actually sitting, in the US.

My NordVPN app works great when I am in Spain too. It randomly selects an effective and anonymous internet server to reroute my connection through. The result is increased security to me.

Practically speaking, this sometimes enables you to obtain media and video streaming you might not otherwise be able to access. Also, and most importantly, it makes it infinitely more difficult for a hacker to backtrace your connection and try to install malware on your home system.

Here is the basic Wikipedia article on Virtual Private Networks:

Virtual private network - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Hope this helps.

 

[Former member 49149]

Simply put, a Virtual Private Network or VPN is a piece of software or an app on a smartphone that encrypts and reroutes all your internet traffic including e-mail, so it appears to be coming from somewhere else. For example, I can tell my computer or iPhone is the US to log onto a VPN server in the UK, or France. This will make the target I am trying to connect to think my request is coming from France or the UK, and not where I am actually sitting, in the US.

My NordVPN app works great when I am in Spain too. It randomly selects an effective and anonymous internet server to reroute my connection through. The result is increased security to me.

Practically speaking, this sometimes enables you to obtain media and video streaming you might not otherwise be able to access. Also, and most importantly, it makes it infinitely more difficult for a hacker to backtrace your connection and try to install malware on your home system.

Here is the basic Wikipedia article on Virtual Private Networks:

Virtual private network - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Hope this helps.

Thank you. I knew you would have a useful answer! I will check out the link when I have some peaceful time to be able to pay proper attention. ¡Muchísimas gracias!

 

[Prentiss Riddle]

So, keeping your card in a “swipe-proof” protector might be a good idea?

Again, this is yet a different risk than the other ones in this thread.

What you’re talking about is RFID, the technology in cards that can just be tapped or waved instead of swiped through a machine.

Theoretically, bad guys could carry around an RFID reader and read every card in your pocket or purse unless you store them in an RFID-proof wallet.

In practice I don’t know anyone this has happened to, although how would one know?

And as with other risks, this is more likely to happen in your home town than on the Camino.

 

[t2andreo]

Thank you. I knew you would have a useful answer! I will check out the link when I have some peaceful time to be able to pay proper attention. ¡Muchísimas gracias!

de nada!

 

[Re-tired]

If you happen to have a ProjectFi phone, as my wife and I do, you are protected with Google's VPN. I just use the tethering option for using my tablet. We have used these phones in France, Italy, Spain with no issues.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

If you happen to have a ProjectFi phone, as my wife and I do, you are protected with Google's VPN.

I just found out about this a few days ago. Go to the FI app, then Fi Network Tools under Phone Settings.

 

[Marcus-UK]

Hola peregrinos!
Has anybody been attacked by a hacker while using WiFi along the Camino? Just considering the extra expense of a VPN.
Cheers

Having previously been paid to test network vulnerabilities I would advise the use of VPNs on any wireless or broadcast network. The nasty people of this world do public monitor networks and do log data. Sometimes this data can be mined and sensitive information used to defraud people. The thing that sometimes protects people using public access points is that the sheer volume of data to process makes it difficult or too time consuming for most hackers. I have used a number of free VPN products over the years. However since my retirement I now use paid for applications that are kept up to date by the manufacture and more importantly have multiple servers worldwide to spread the load. My current favorite is NordVPN, but Tunnel Bear is good. If you are using Bitdefender on your Windows PC/Android/IOS Phone/Tablet then its VPN add on makes sense. Some sites block VPNs but a well set up VPN client can get round this and is useful fro accessing WWW content if you are out of your normal geographic area.

 

[Sha-Ron]

Fascinating - am looking forward to the replies - I haven't heard of this happening ... though, one of my credit cards was cloned two years ago - Barclays were on to it and refunded the money stolen and issued me a new card - they said that it most likely happened on Camino .. paying for a meal, where the card is taken away rather than paying at table or going to the desk to personally use the machine.

This happened to us in Finisterre. Card machine "was giving trouble" in a seafood restaurant and card was taken away while we were being distracted by one of the owners. Upon our return to our home country we were informed that our card had been cloned and that extensive amounts of money had been withdrawn in Brazil!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Upon our return to our home country we were informed that our card had been cloned and that extensive amounts of money had been withdrawn in Brazil!

You just can't win. We had to go through getting a new card after the card company informed us that one of their employees was using our number in Texas.

 

[Felipe]

I have been reading this thread with interest (and feeling increasingly paranoid). But I am somewhat confused, because to me we seem to talk about two different issues -credit card cloning and wifi snooping. Can the wifi snoopers discover and steal credit card data? I mean, it is not stored in my computer, for example; when necessary, I write the login and psswd manually. And I never, ever, do buying or financial transactions in a wifi network, even in hotels (but I use sometimes paypal, which I assume it is safer).
On the other side, in my new and flashing cellphone, I guess the info is somewhat stored in apps as Uber. And maybe booking.com?
I actually suffered a cloning card issue, but I supposed it came from a webpage reservation service. Back home, it was a mess, and I managed to recover most (but not all) the charges). Since then, I try to pay cash when I travel, whenever it is possible.

 

[Scott Fraser]

I honestly don't think I have ever seen this happen at a restaurant, the cloning of a card I mean.....

....So, if this is happening on the Camino I can only imagine that it happens in the bigger capital cities.

All that’s necessary is for someone to copy (by hand on a piece of paper — no hacking required) all the relevant info: card number, name, expire date, 3 digits on the back. The data is sold to someone who makes fake cards. The cards are sold to someone who wants to buy something with someone else’s money.

Happened to me six years ago. The guy who bought the fake card ran up almost $20,000 in three days before the bank shut the card down.

The only way to prevent it is to follow the advice offered:

“Just a reminder to others, the server is meant to bring the swiper to the table. The easiest way to make sure that they do so is simply to not hand over the card until they bring the machine.”

 

[alaskadiver]

I keep my card in a special card holder that no machine can read through. But I do agree that you should never let your card out of your sight. My husband bought something small from a computer shop once (not on the camino at the time) and the next thing we knew was receiving a letter through the post asking if he was happy with the purchase of a very expensive computer (which he hadn't bought of course). The police did a follow-up immediately as it had even been delivered to another address but of course there was no sign of it. We were reimbursed by the bank but we learned a very valuable lesson.

Only contactless cards are at risk for wireless theft. Regular chipped cards aren’t the same technology. So if you have one of those RFID sleeves they’re a waste of money.

 

[alaskadiver]

Again, this is yet a different risk than the other ones in this thread.

What you’re talking about is RFID, the technology in cards that can just be tapped or waved instead of swiped through a machine.

Theoretically, bad guys could carry around an RFID reader and read every card in your pocket or purse unless you store them in an RFID-proof wallet.

In practice I don’t know anyone this has happened to, although how would one know?

And as with other risks, this is more likely to happen in your home town than on the Camino.

Exactly correct. Huge marketing scam to sell RFID purses and sleeves.

 

[alaskadiver]

Hola peregrinos!
Has anybody been attacked by a hacker while using WiFi along the Camino? Just considering the extra expense of a VPN.
Cheers

No real need for VPN, just don’t use your phone for anything other than surfing. Better to just get a SIM card and not rely on the security of a public WiFi.

 

[joecamino]

at the risk of getting a lesson I will not understand, please tell me more about vpn. I know it exists. What is it? What service can it offer me? Thank you in advance, as I know you will set to with gusto to illuminate my ignorance! you are one of the mines of information on the forum, t2andreao...

Hiya Kirkie-- I'll take a shot at answering. If you use VPN software on your computer, it will connect to a VPN server and create an encrypted connection. Think of this as an opaque "pipe" between the computers. All your internet activity will pass through this pipe, and anyone snooping won't be able to see it.

Why do this? Some people do because they don't want their ISP (or govt.) logging which sites they browse. (Your ISP can see all of this normally) Or they don't want someone in a coffee shop snooping on their wi-fi session, and grabbing passwords and other sensitive info. Or they want to mask what country or region they are connecting from.

It may sound complicated, but VPN software that's well-designed should make this pretty easy. There are some good choices recommended in this thread. Hope this helps!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Some people do because they don't want their ISP (or govt.) logging which sites they browse.

Just use Google and Facebook. They track it all with your permission, then sell the data almost without limit. If you are worried about security, VPN is a waste of time and money if you also use social media. They collect far more than any evil government (or hacker) ever will.

 

[wisepilgrim]

It occurs to me that two problems here can be solved with the same solution.

Problem 1: General data addiction/distraction/whatever, the kind of thing pilgrims of long ago gripe about when everyone in the albergue is on their phone.
Problem 2: Operational security, or keeping your private stuff out of the hands of adversaries. Credit card information is just the tip of the iceberg, and similarly it is the quickest to spot.

Solution: Do not connect to public wifi spots. Pretty much every security expert in the world will recommend the same.

Caveat to solution: If and when you need a connection, you will need to have a data plan on your phone.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

From Scientific American:

Than Your Spouse Does
The traces we leave on the Web and on our digital devices can give advertisers and others surprising, and sometimes disturbing, insights into our psychology

The Internet Knows You Better Than Your Spouse Does

The traces we leave on the Web and on our digital devices can give advertisers and others surprising, and sometimes disturbing, insights into our psychology

www.scientificamerican.com

 

[Former member 49149]

Hiya Kirkie-- I'll take a shot at answering. If you use VPN software on your computer, it will connect to a VPN server and create an encrypted connection. Think of this as an opaque "pipe" between the computers. All your internet activity will pass through this pipe, and anyone snooping won't be able to see it.

Why do this? Some people do because they don't want their ISP (or govt.) logging which sites they browse. (Your ISP can see all of this normally) Or they don't want someone in a coffee shop snooping on their wi-fi session, and grabbing passwords and other sensitive info. Or they want to mask what country or region they are connecting from.

It may sound complicated, but VPN software that's well-designed should make this pretty easy. There are some good choices recommended in this thread. Hope this helps!

Thank you very much for your response, joe camino. I am fairly cautious when using open WiFi. When it tells me it is not safe, I say: do I need to do this now? No. I think that is my best defence. I will still be open though to getting some more information to try to educate myself a bit better. On a much simpler level, even if I get a dodgy looking email from my nearest and dearest, I take a screenshot and send it to the person on a new email message, asking: is this really from you? Upon reply, always 100% ‘Certainly not!’ I delete original purported message.

 

[Former member 49149]

Just use Google and Facebook. They track it all with your permission, then sell the data almost without limit. If you are worried about security, VPN is a waste of time and money if you also use social media. They collect far more than any evil government (or hacker) ever will.

I closed off facebook, and perhaps very very soon will move to DuckDuckGo, deleting google as an option. I am lazy about that though as DuckDuckGo doesn’t intuit my needs - but therein lies the problem! Google knows me better than I know myself!

 

[Moorwalker]

Hola peregrinos!
Has anybody been attacked by a hacker while using WiFi along the Camino? Just considering the extra expense of a VPN.
Cheers

I always use a VPN when connecting to a public system, it needn't be expensive.

 

[Arctic_Alex]

Just use Google and Facebook. They track it all with your permission, then sell the data almost without limit. If you are worried about security, VPN is a waste of time and money if you also use social media. They collect far more than any evil government (or hacker) ever will.

Tracking and collecting social media data is one thing.
But compromising my online banking, email accounts, my companies online bookkeeping and much more by intercepting data packages NOT sent via social media is a whole different and much worse threat. The latter has nothing to do with what I allow on social media, but with the data I sent over a half way secured or totally unsecured connection.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Tracking and collecting social media data is one thing.
But compromising my online banking, email accounts, my companies online bookkeeping and much more by intercepting data packages NOT sent via social media is a whole different and much worse threat. The latter has nothing to do with what I allow on social media, but with the data I sent over a half way secured or totally unsecured connection.

They could use it. They simply say they won’t. They have the information. Trust them. If it weren’t there, the hackers at Starbucks would not be trying to get it. But go ahead and trust them. Plenty of junior starlets have.

 

[freeflyer123]

Only contactless cards are at risk for wireless theft. Regular chipped cards aren’t the same technology. So if you have one of those RFID sleeves they’re a waste of money.

I do have a contactless card, which is why I use the sleeve. Yes, if I recall, it is an RFID sleeve. I've tested the card while it was in the sleeve and it could not be read so I am assuming then that this makes me safe from predators trying to skim money off it.

I've never trusted putting my bank details online so I arranged with the bank to have a separate account which only holds money I have added to it. There is no overdraft facility and only the money in it can be used. I keep the balance intentionally low and certainly no more than £200 in it at any one time - often far less (of course, I have occasionally had to go over this but then I simply add what is needed). This way, I can purchase things using just this card online and always add when I know I'm going to need more. It works well because I know that if it was hacked at any time only the small amount in the account can be removed. While a nuisance and a loss, it's at least not life changing.

 

[tomnorth]

On an iOS device, you do not have access at the root level, which is what is needed to install malware, such as key loggers. For me, I won't bother with VPN on my iPhone. Android devices do allow access at the root level, which is why the vast majority of malware for mobile devices runs on Android devices.

 

[Arctic_Alex]

They could use it. They simply say they won’t. They have the information. Trust them. If it weren’t there, the hackers at Starbucks would not be trying to get it. But go ahead and trust them. Plenty of junior starlets have.

I never said I trusted social media corporations. All I said was that the hacker at Starbuck poses a direct threat to my money and my company that facebook does not. Facebook and the like sinply do not have acess to the data I am talking about.
Not using a seat belt while driving because I could also die of cancer anyway is bad advice. Hence the VPN (seat belt).

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Facebook and the like simply do not have access to the data I am talking about.

Warehouses full of hacker qualified employees, but if the CEO is not a hacker, we are safe? I pay a $.99 bill with Apple each month. They have my credit card number and I trust them to keep it safe, but I wonder how naive that is? I zip my wallet inside a hidden pocket in my sleeping bag on the camino, but Apple can charge me anything they want anytime they want (they just always do it for $.99).

Facial recognition software on social media scans and catalogues faces 24/7. I do not see the value to me of that, but I see the value to them of that. A hacker in Starbucks will not find SSN or credit card data on my iPhone, but they can find it on the dark web. The hacks of photo databases for starlets who seem to need to be reminded of how they look naked show how insecure the clouds and devices can be. Ask Hillary Clinton's campaign if a credit card number was the real vulnerability!!!

You cannot lose if you don't play (apologies to state lotteries, which are taxes on people who are bad at math).

 

[t2andreo]

I closed off facebook, and perhaps very very soon will move to DuckDuckGo, deleting google as an option. I am lazy about that though as DuckDuckGo doesn’t intuit my needs - but therein lies the problem! Google knows me better than I know myself!

I use DuckDuckGo as my alternate browser. To REALLY secure things, I turn on my VPN first, then open DDG. That is two layers of encryption protection. I only use this for only banking and bill paying. For all other use over public Wi-Fi, I rely on NordVPN. Generally, I use my data plan directly.

It is a tad bit OCD, but I am a belt and suspenders sort of person. Besides, my personal privacy is important to me.

 

[Delia90]

I always use a VPN when connecting to a public system, it needn't be expensive.

Soon I am starting my journey, and I am thinking do I need a VPN or not. Which provider do you use? Because I don't want to pay more than a $3 a month. I found that NordVPN, CyberGhost, and Surfshark offers nice prices, but I still can't decide.

 

[Moorwalker]

Soon I am starting my journey, and I am thinking do I need a VPN or not. Which provider do you use? Because I don't want to pay more than a $3 a month. I found that NordVPN, CyberGhost, and Surfshark offers nice prices, but I still can't decide.

I currently use Tunnel Bear, but both NordVPN and CyberGhost have good reputations. I don'tknow Surf Shark. Many will give you limited free access so you can try them out and see if you like the interface before you commit to paying.

 

[Marcus-UK]

I use Nordvpn and find it simple to use. It also probably has some of the best coverage of VPN servers worldwide.
A number of Anti-Virus / Internet Security products also offer VPN add ons such as Bit defender. The advantage of these is that it is a single provider of your security and there is less chance of different applications not working together.
The free to use VPN applications generally require a higher level of technical skill to set up and use.

 

[Delia90]

I currently use Tunnel Bear, but both NordVPN and CyberGhost have good reputations. I don'tknow Surf Shark. Many will give you limited free access so you can try them out and see if you like the interface before you commit to paying.

Oh, I didn't think about a free trial! Thanks for reminding me. As I see you can test Surfshark for 30 days, and get a full refund after. So I will try to do that.