Tips for Mobile Security -- Disable Your Connection

How do you ensure that your mobile device is secure when the wireless connection is not in use?

Not many people think about this, but your mobile device is vulnerable to attack even when you're not using any wireless connections. This is especially a problem with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. For example, an active Wi-Fi card in your laptop may connect with a nearby public access point. A hacker connecting to the same access point becomes a node on the same network as yours. As a result, the hacker can take advantage of the network to find the data on your laptop. (continued...)

The best way to avoid this problem is to disable your Wi-Fi card, which shuts off the transceiver and makes it impossible for a hacker to get in. You can do this in Windows XP by right-clicking the wireless network icon in the system tray and choosing Disable from the pop-up menu. With the transceiver off, not only will your mobile device be safer, it will consume less battery power.

If it's not practical to disable the Wi-Fi card (because you might want to use it periodically), then be certain that the folders on your mobile device are not shared. In Windows XP, right-click the folder you want to secure and select Properties, then click on the Sharing tab and deactivate sharing.

You can also use a personal firewall, such as Norton Personal Firewall or ZoneAlarm, to block hackers from accessing your device.

Source: InformationWeek

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