If my laptop picks up a wireless internet connection, does that automatically make it unsecured? and...?
what are the tools?
and how hard are they to get?
how common is it for people to do this?
Now I'm a little worried because I've been using my friends laptop and when the computer says do you want to join the unsecured connection, I've been clicking yes.
Most of the time its something called lynksys.
Can anyone tell me about it? Is it safe?
Answers:
Good answers above, but not as relevant as they should be, although the description of the router name (linksys) is accurate, it just means whoever's running that particular wireless router knows little or nothing about configuring it, or doesn't care to.
Tintrista: the key word above is "unsecured" - this means there is no encryption on the wireless connection itself. This does not necessarily mean a random person can see everything you see and type, though.
Even with an unsecured network, SSL is still quite secure (where the web address is https://... like when logging into Yahoo) - this is 128-bit encryption between your computer and the server you're connecting to, so there's essentially nothing to worry about there. However, if it's not an encrypted connection (just http://...), then anyone with a piece of software called a "packet sniffer" can read anything you transmit online (forms, username and passwords, emails, etc). Packet sniffers are easily and freely available (try doing a search for them, you'll get hundreds of thousands of results, some free, some not), and relatively easy to use, although they're generally only used by people with an at least halfway decent knowledge of computers.
Of course, with the exception of when you are on those secured pages (and only then), you should always operate under the assumption that anything you send online can be read by others. This is why a number of techies go to such lengths as encrypting their emails BEFORE they send them and having something called a PGP/GPG key (look it up if you're interested, but it's pretty involved).
Hope this helps!
If they do have the right tools and the know-how, they can see what you're doing on your computer. I do not know what the tools are or how are they are to get. I personally do not think it is very common unless the unsecured connection was in a densely populated area. Some people in the city go "wardriving" which is basically going around to find an unsecure connection to use.
Linksys is just the name of the router. Nothing harmful.
The risk only lies if some other people decide to connect to the same router.
Hacking a laptop's wireless signal isn't child's play, but it's also still common.
There should be a button to press to initiate a wireless connection. When that button is not pressed, I think it's OK, but I'm not sure. I mean, an ordinary PC certainly doesn't have the same input capabilities, so I don't know if that capability stays open to hackers constantly or not.
I would guess it doesn't if the button is not on.
If you are using an unsecured wireless connection that means you are vulnerable to having your entire web surfing session being subject to "wireless sniffing." That is not common but a possibility. Best bet is to have a firewall on your laptop so that no one can "enter" your computer while you are on a public wireless connection. Also know that your data is not encrypted so be careful what websites you look at [dont do banking on an unencrypted connecyion].
So, the tools are out there to sniff but it wouldn't be wise to reveal what they are and where to find them.
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