Is using internet poker at a wireless place ( hotel, starbucks) safe?
 

I thought I read that people can get your passwords at these places if you are not protected. What do I need if I go out of town with my wireless laptop?

Re: Is using internet poker at a wireless place ( hotel, starbucks) safe?
 

Don't worry.
All data transfered between your laptop and poker server is encrypted. There is no clear data to be captured by an attacker. You can easily look what information your computer sends/receives by installing software called Ethereal.

Re: Is using internet poker at a wireless place ( hotel, starbucks) safe?
 

Thank you for the answer. But what about other important things like yahoo mail, and two plus two. Are these encrypted also?

Re: Is using internet poker at a wireless place ( hotel, starbucks) sa
 

Generally anything served over a web browser is encrypted if it needs to be, and not otherwise. Obviously 2+2 isn't (why would you care?), and your online banking is. If you're accessing an address starting HTTPS:// rather than HTTP://, the connection is encrypted.

Re: Is using internet poker at a wireless place ( hotel, starbucks) sa
 

But it sounds like a hacker could easily intercept a password you use at a nonecrypted site (like 2+2), right?
If so, people who use the same passwords for non-sensitive sites like this one as they do for sensitive sites like banks, Neteller, etc could be at risk...is this right?

Re: Is using internet poker at a wireless place ( hotel, starbucks) sa
 

[ QUOTE ]
But it sounds like a hacker could easily intercept a password you use at a nonecrypted site (like 2+2), right?
If so, people who use the same passwords for non-sensitive sites like this one as they do for sensitive sites like banks, Neteller, etc could be RETARDED!!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

FYP

Re: Is using internet poker at a wireless place ( hotel, starbucks) sa
 

Yes, true.

I have three tiers of passwords....

unsecure, like 2+2
semi-secure, like email
secure as possible, for financial stuff

make sure that none of them cross over and you're goot.

I concur that you don't have to worry about visiting https sites (poker sites included) when on an open net.

Use a firewall. Use anti-spyware. Use virus protection.

Re: Is using internet poker at a wireless place ( hotel, starbucks) sa
 

[ QUOTE ]

unsecure, like 2+2
semi-secure, like email
secure as possible, for financial stuff


[/ QUOTE ]

Since many financial sites (e.g. poker sites!) are quite lax about verifying your identity as long as you can receive email from them to the address they've got on record, I'd recommend being very secure with your email passwords too.

Doing that is also kind to your email hosts whoever they may be.

Guy.

Re: Is using internet poker at a wireless place ( hotel, starbucks) sa
 

Hmm isnt the wireles signal vulnerable even though it has encryption. Laptop is transmitting to the access point wirelessly. If it is using WEP then the signal could be monitored and possibly cracked.

Edit: The initilization vector makes it insecure

Re: Is using internet poker at a wireless place ( hotel, starbucks) sa
 

[ QUOTE ]
Yes, true.

I have three tiers of passwords....

unsecure, like 2+2
semi-secure, like email
secure as possible, for financial stuff

make sure that none of them cross over and you're goot.

I concur that you don't have to worry about visiting https sites (poker sites included) when on an open net.

Use a firewall. Use anti-spyware. Use virus protection.

[/ QUOTE ]

i have the same policy. most of my unsecure passwords are the same (or very similar) because i don't really care what happens with them. the e-mail password is pretty secure, but it has to be something i can remember. all other passwords are randomly generated sequences of 15 letters, numbers and symbols.

Re: Is using internet poker at a wireless place ( hotel, starbucks) sa
 

[ QUOTE ]
Hmm isnt the wireles signal vulnerable even though it has encryption. Laptop is transmitting to the access point wirelessly. If it is using WEP then the signal could be monitored and possibly cracked.

Edit: The initilization vector makes it insecure

[/ QUOTE ]

No, this is completely wrong. The wireless connection is happening at the physical layer, the HTTPS encryption is happening further up the stack, before any data is sent over the wireless connection. In the case of HTTPS/SSL an insecure wireless connection will result only in your encrypted transmission being intercepted.