Hotel's Internet

BYRNE11 · #1 01-11-2007, 01:08 AM

I will be staying at a hotel for the next few nights and was wondering how safe it is to use my laptop to play poker on the free internet they offer in the rooms?I heard it wasnt to great of an idea at cafe's because of keyloggers is it the same for hotels?

ajml · #2 01-11-2007, 01:13 AM

It is fine, a keylogger needs to be installed on your computer, either by you accepting a file transfer or accidentally clicking on something that installs it. As long as you have virus protection, spy-ware protection, and a software firewall running in the background, which you should be anyways, you will be all set. If you are doing any banking or entering passwords into websites while on this connection make sure they start with https:// instead of http://.

Edit: also here this is from the front page of the Computer Technical Help forum and answers this question much more indepth and better than I do.
link

LeapFrog · #3 01-11-2007, 01:38 AM

[ QUOTE ]
It is fine, a keylogger needs to be installed on your computer, either by you accepting a file transfer or accidentally clicking on something that installs it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not to be a nit here, but under the right circumstances it is possible to be infected simply by visiting a web page.

As ajml said, make sure everything is patched up, run a software firewall and you should be fine. Just to be on the safe side I would connect via ethernet as opposed to wireless if your hotel offers both. Just that more things can go wrong in trying to properly setup encrypted wireless.

Also if you have some free time, do a few google searches related to computer security. You will be surprised how much you can learn in an hour even.

BYRNE11 · #4 01-11-2007, 01:53 AM

So id be just a safe typing my password on Pokerstars at home as at the hotel?

LeapFrog · #5 01-11-2007, 01:58 AM

[ QUOTE ]
So id be just a safe typing my password on Pokerstars at home as at the hotel?

[/ QUOTE ]

Well I hate absolutes... let me put it this way. I'm a bit of a security nit and when I was with my father at Mayo, I felt completely comfortable playing online via the hotels ethernet. Also I would feel comfortable on properly setup wireless.