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This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

50 Ways to Protect Your Identity in a Digital Age: New Financial Threats You Need to Know and How to Avoid Them, 2nd Edition50 Ways to Protect Your Identity in a Digital Age: New Financial Threats You Need to Know and How to Avoid Them, 2nd Edition

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This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

50 Ways to Protect Your Identity in a Digital Age: New Financial Threats You Need to Know and How to Avoid Them, 2nd Edition50 Ways to Protect Your Identity in a Digital Age: New Financial Threats You Need to Know and How to Avoid Them, 2nd Edition

Learn More Buy

Wi-Fi: A Convenience to Worry About

Advances in computer technology are great. Unfortunately, they also often bring with them opportunities for identity theft. Starbucks is a very successful company. One of the perks of being a Starbucks customer is that they provide wireless Internet access in their stores so people can sit back, drink some expensive coffee, and search the Internet. The way wireless Internet service, or Wi-Fi, works is by sending Web pages over radio waves to computers that have wireless capabilities. It is easy for technologically sophisticated identity thieves to hack into the computers of customers who are using their laptops at wireless access points, often referred to as Internet “hotspots.” Savvy hackers can join the network and access the information contained within the computers of users of the system. Wi-Fi is found more and more at malls, bookstores, and even McDonald’s restaurants. Securing your laptop computer from hackers while using Wi-Fi facilities is complex and particularly difficult for the relatively unsophisticated technology user who often is also unlikely to keep his or her computer security and virus protections up-to-date

TIP

Any computer that has wireless capabilities activated should also have security software installed at the same time. One of the best ways to protect yourself when using Wi-Fi is to encrypt your data. Make sure your wireless router has an encryption mechanism and that it is turned on. Even wireless routers that have encryption capabilities are often delivered with this feature turned off. It is up to you to make sure that your encryption feature is functioning. Most wireless routers also have a feature called identifier broadcaster that announces your presence to other devices within the Wi-Fi area. Make sure that yours is turned off so you are not alerting anyone to your computer’s presence. Finally, even if your identifier broadcaster is turned off, wireless routers come equipped with a standard default identifier for your particular computer. This default identifier is known by identity thieves and hackers, so change your identifier so that your computer cannot be accessed by identity thieves and hackers. And while you are at it, change your wireless router’s default password to your own, more complex password.

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Last Update: November 17, 2020