I spy with my little wi-fi...
For some in the real estate business, public wi-fi hotspots are lifesavers when it comes to checking and sending e-mail. A few minutes at the local coffee shop is all it takes to hook up to the internet and catch up on essential correspondence. Free wireless networks are becoming more widespread, which is great for convenience, but anyone connecting to the Web this way needs to also be aware that there are some risks involved. "A healthy dose of paranoia is helpful,'' says Sherman Hall, a task force agent with the Atherton, CA, Police Department, in yesterday's San Jose Mercury News. "Assume others are monitoring your traffic.''
You can protect your computer and your information by taking some simple steps. The Mercury News article recommends installing a personal firewall or virtual private network (VPN) on your laptop. Don't send e-mails that include sensitive passwords or account numbers, and make sure that any banking or other e-commerce sites you do business with while on a public network feature a secure connection -- look for that little padlock icon in the lower right corner of your browser.
So be wary, but don't panic, advises another article in the Mercury News. "Of course, the Internet will never be entirely safe -- anymore than the real world will ever be completely crime-free. But...only a few reasonable precautions are required to reduce online security risks to a reasonable level." For more tips on keeping your information safe, both online and off, check out NAR's Guides to Protecting Real Estate Information on Realtor.org.
