Re: Laptop, wi-fi, VPN, no firewall -- what's safe?

["Jim Franz" <franz400@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

a keyboard logger installed on your pc and you will give away
your vpn connection password...who knows what is going on
between your pc and the wi-fi before you get into the vpn.
Public access (hotels, wi-fi, etc) are not safe without an active firewall
turn on an challenging any install or port access.
jim
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike the Code Monkey" <koldark@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "PC Technical Discussion for iSeries Users" <pctech@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2006 11:19 AM
Subject: Re: [PCTECH] Laptop, wi-fi, VPN, no firewall -- what's safe?


> This can get complicated quickly and this is based on what I understand.
>
> Using unencrypted WiFi is normally okay as long as you are using a secure
> connection to connect to your personal email accounts and other "private
> things" you may look at.
>
> If the VPN was setup properly, they are using a secure connection and you
> are okay. If they aren't using a secure connection, then anyone can sniff
> the traffic you are sending to work.
>
> The laptop should have the firewall installed or enabled. If it isn't
> enabled, theroretically someone could hijack your laptop and use your
> connection to your workplace to... well... do what they want. The firewall
> on Windows XP is normally good enough to keep most people out.
>
> On 5/25/06, Dan <dan27649@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > I am using a company-issued laptop that has Contivity VPN Client
> > installed.
> > I had my first Wi-Fi experience last night (at a microbrewery watching
> > Tigers baseball! Yeah!); the connection was "unsecured".  Was I
> > "vulnerable"
> > while I was connnected through the VPN client?  It seems to me that the
> > VPN
> > only protects the company network, but doesn't necessarily protect
> > anything
> > on my laptop.
> >
> > There is no firewall running on this laptop and the "setup" has Windows
> > Firewall turned off and unable to be turned on (greyed out).  The network
> > guys said that the firewall is on the network.  I asked about the 
> > scenario
> > I
> > presented above and I think they are looking at installing the Symnatec
> > firewall they half-expected would be installed already.
> >
> > TIA,
> > Dan
>
> --
> Mike Wills
> koldark@xxxxxxxxx
> http://theriverbendpodcast.com
>
> Code Monkey like Fritos
> Code Monkey like Tab and Mountain Dew
> Code Monkey very simple man
> - Johnathan Coulton - Code Monkey
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