When I surf on a wireless network can my surfing be tracked?

I live in an apartment building with free wifi to residents. Can the owner track my surfing? Is it safe for me to use my credit card or is it possible for the owner or others to view that info? Thanks.|||Several important things need attention, and will depend on what OS you are using.


Using Public 'Hot spots'; general concepts:


These can be trouble if you don't use extra precautions.


Because 'open' networks have no encryption between your unit and the router, everything you send or receive is in plain text.


So a hacker, with a commonly available application, can intercept and log all of your traffic 'packets'; run "brute force" programs to crack passwords and decrypt all of your traffic at their leisure ("off line").


So the best advice is do not visit sites that are private, or require 'log-in', especially credit cards, banks, on so on.


The only secure method to use, over a 'hotspot' is a VPN.


Note a hotspot that uses "gateway" technology can log all traffic, by impersonating a secure connection, and reveal your SSL traffic.


A padlock indicating SSL may in fact be coming from the router (gateway), which records all traffic before re-encrypting it, and sending it out to the Internet.


Always click the browsers "lock", then examine the pedigree of the chain of certificate authority.


Any weird or strange authority could mean some monkey business going on, especially the final chain link.





Also, when you use a "hotspot" you are by definition in that LAN; and some Windows OS settings open certain ports which can be used to access your computer, by the bad guys.


So for laptops, turn off (aka 'unbind') printer %26amp; files sharing, via:


Start%26gt; Control Panel%26gt; Network Connections%26gt; right click 'Wireless Network Connections%26gt; Properties%26gt; General tab: here, uncheck "File %26amp; Printer sharing..."%26gt; OK out.





Vista %26amp; Win7 have greater breakdown of Network security, but in this case, use the 'Public' settings to shield your system from prying eyes.





Always have a stout firewall.|||Depends on the equipment and level of expertise but generally, yes, anyone who operates a wireless network can track the activities of people on that network.





As for getting personal information like credit card numbers, as long as the right kind of https is being used (with good point-to-point encryption), the operator of the network won't be able to see any of the details of the transaction.





That having been said, don't just assume that a site is safe because it says "https" at the top. Exercise all due caution and only shop at "legit" sites and you should be ok.|||As the first answerer noted, your surfing can be tracked if you are using a wireless connection. This is especially true for public networks. I would recommend to never send your personal information across a public network. However, if you must do so then make sure the site is hyper text transfer protocol (http). Additionally, ensure there is an icon of a padlock in your web browser on sites in which you will enter your personal info. The padlock means the information being sent is encrypted. Not completely preclusive, but very hard to decrypt for most users.|||Listen NOTHING SAFE. If they WANT it they will get it. You should chnage your MAC address, it will be harder for them to keep tabs on you. Cause almost Nobody knows how to chnage their MAC.


Use this Utility:


http://www.mechwarrior4.net/Downloads/Up鈥?/a>


ALSO- When you change your MAc - it resets your connection AND gives you a NEW IP!


Many hackers will "Cloak" your IP. Doing this really Fouls things up for them!!


Enjoy your new Toy!|||probably not safe.