Secure your navigation on public networks

When you connect to a WiFi hotspot in the street, library, hotel, restaurant, airport or any public network, security and confidentiality of your data is greatly threatened.

Most public wireless access points do not use encryption which means that all data exchanged are visible and usable. Anyone with network sniffing software can capture and read data exchanged: emails you exchange, pages visited, your usernames and passwords (on pages that are not secure HTTPS / SSL) .

On public wireless networks to which you connect your computer, it's a bit more complicated to grab your data, but a network administrator can easily see the unsecured trade on the network and see exactly what you are doing on the Internet.

The solution for safe surfing on the Internet and not risk to be stolen information when you want to connect to a public network is to use a virtual private network, commonly known as VPN.

A VPN is a kind of encrypted tunnel between two points (on your computer and a remote server) where all data in transit are fully encrypted and protected. So when you are connected to a public network, one can see the data you exchange.

Some companies offer free or communities a VPN connection to secure their internet browsing. This is the case of Tor.

Tor is a network of volunteers who serve as relays for users who need privacy online. Tor is in the form a package without installation (portable) with the VPN client (to create a secure VPN tunnel), Firefox (web browser) and Pidgin (instant messaging).

Versions of Firefox and Pidgin are preconfigured to use the VPN and secure connection. You can surf with your favorite browser (even if it is Firefox) when the Internet connection is safe and use Firefox and Pidgin Tor when you're on a public network.