Security when using WiFi Hotspots & Hotel Wireless Access

kwikbreaks

That won't help. The problem is that public WiFi is not encrypted so a third party can snoop on everything you type in (eg passwords).

JustPassingBy

Crystal44 wrote: »

I was told today that Mac PCs have inbuilt security so users do not have to worry about additional security. Is this true and if I bought a Mac would that eliminate my concern about doing internet banking using hotspots?

Banking services use https, as do many mail services. Everything from your computer to them and from them to you is encrypted. You can conduct multi-million pound transactions all day without any fear of the data being read. The WiFi connection being unencrypted and the nature of the operating system are of no consequence.

Your connection to this site is via http. In principle everything you send and receive, including your username and password, can be read. If that bothers you - don't do it, or seek end-to-end encryption using a VPN service, which you will most likely have to pay for.

How common it is for unencrypted traffic at unsecured hotspots to be monitored and read nobody knows, so you may want to consider that when making a decision.