Don’t Get Your Passwords Stolen at Internet Cafes
‘Bad guys’ often use a something called a keystroke logger to steal passwords from regular folks. Keystroke loggers are nifty tools for bad hackers because they are simple programs that can be easily installed, despite an Internet cafe’s best security efforts. Don’t be fooled though, most Internet cafes (especially overseas – even Europe could care less about security).
All the keystroke logger does is record every single thing typed into the keyboard – then it just emails the entire text to Kazakhstan (for example). Anything you type, from emails, passwords, to credit card numbers. And it will be hard to do anything about it while you’re traveling and quite possible ruin your vacation.
The easy way around this is to download and install Safekeys to your USB thumb drive. It creates a little keyboard on the screen you can click with the mouse.
Use it every time you have to enter any sensitive information while you’re on the road. Trust me, I’ve discovered keystroke loggers on many public computers in the US and abroad.
Perhaps it’s just me, but I tend to be more careful about what I check and enter into a public computer – I’m not sure if anyone else really does though.
Related posts:
My name is Anil, a traveler and travel enthusiast. I created foXnoMad to connect with other travelers, discover their world, and share what I’ve learned about mine.
Ooh, downloaded it! Very cool. Thanks!
Anytime!