"Tom Roth" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: >Finally, WEP can be broken and from what I've been told it's fairly easyso if you are doing anything like on-line banking, ordering something by credit card, etc., don't use wireless at all. Switch to wired for these kinds of transactions.
I consider this to be fearmongering. :)
Credit card numbers, on-line banking information, etc. should all be protected by a Secure Socket Layer (SSL), meaning they should be encrypted by the browser before they ever leave your laptop. Most browsers will display a special symbol (e.g., a locked padlock symbol) when connected via an SSL. SSLs are the basis of most online security mechanisms and are generally more than adequate in themselves in protecting sensitive information. You should never enter credit card or similarly private information online unless you have an SSL connection. This is true whether you're connected via wireless or wired.
Ok, I'm going to beat Jeff's point home LOUDLY. This type of FUD just cannot be permitted to continue. Us Mac users are smarter than this.
YOUR CREDIT CARD NUMBERS ET AL ARE *NOT* AT ANY GREATER RISK DURING WIRELESS TRANSIT THAN THEY ARE OVER WIRED CONNECTIONS OR EVEN IN YOUR STATION WAGON. IN FACT, THE CASE CAN BE MADE TO SAY THEY'RE *MORE* SECURE.
SSL is a *secure* transit mechanism. It is an end-to-end encrypted connection *BETWEEN YOUR BROWSER AND THE FINANCIAL eCOMMERCE SERVER*. The SSL packets are then enclosed *within* (encapsulated) the wireless' encryption mechanism -- IOW, it makes for *TWO* layers of encryption!
As for WEP... The original Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption found in
802.11 standards can be sniffed and decoded, with quite a bit of effort. Depending on the amount of wireless traffic you produce, it might require anywhere from an hour to days of sniffing to gather enough data for the decrypt. But still, all that does is hand the phreaker your SSL-encrypted packets -- which would still require major supercomputers years to break! The new encryption mechanism, WPA, corrects WEP's shortcommings, btw.
FWIW, - Dan.
-- MacNetwork is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and...
XRouter Pro | Share your DSL or cable modem between multiple computers! Dr. Bott | Only $199 <http://www.drbott.com/prod/MIH130.html>
Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html>
MacNetwork list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/macnet.html> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; end list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/macnetwork%40mail.maclaunch.com/>
Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
