Subsonic Forum

Is my firewall and Windows Defender enough to protect me on an unencrypted wireless network? I managed to find a shared wireless network in my area that is unencrypted. Will my firewall and Windows Defender be enough protection on this network? It's a linksys network.
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Well the thing is i wouldnt do it as it sounds like your using someone else's internet.
You dont no if it has been put there for a hacker to get in to your system.
I myself sometimes open up a wirless network to see if ppl try and use my internet illegally, and when they do i mess with there heads by messing about with the webpages they are trying to look at.
but i could do a hell of a lot more.. ie hack there systems but im not in to that.

Technically speaking, using someone else's WiFi without their permission is illegal, as it is considered wire fraud. Although, the only way to prove it was you would be your hardware address of the computer. Chances are, unless you were being really abusive of their network, no action would ever be taken against you legally. Nevertheless, it is your risk.

Most unencrypted WiFi networks are operated by computer illiterate people who don't take the time to realize that their WiFi is wide open. Other open networks may be people who want to share, or are unaware of the risk.

However, as the previous poster said, some open WiFi networks are operated by people with other hidden agendas. It's also important to understand that the WiFi access point's owners aren't the only people who pose a threat to you... but anyone within range of their WiFi can.

At any rate, I certainly don't recommend doing anything confidential over open WiFi. (Credit card transactions, reading email, etc.) Windows Defender is okay, but it's a general rule that firewalls aren't always perfect. Also, a firewall will not prevent unencrypted data from being viewed. (Non-encrypted passwords, such as your Subsonic Forum password, would be openly viewable to anyone within range of the access point).

Furthermore, I'm not sure why this support type question is in Feature Requests, or how it pertains to Subsonic...

If you use open WiFi, remember that you do so at your own risk...

Cheers,
Kirk