using WiFi....novice level questions

[WalterK]

Please keep answers really simple.

Let's say you are staying a friend's cabin miles from nowhere. No one else could possibly connect the the wifi router because of sheer distance.

Your friend is no computer genius, so chances are the router probably hasn't been updated in a long, long time.

Your friend rents the cabin once in a while, so there is a risk the router has been connected to an infected computer at some point.

Q1. Because of the remoteness of the router, and the fact that only one person can use at a time make it safe to use?

Q2. Can the wifi router itself hold-on to an infection and pass it on to your computer?​

 

[Lightcs1776]

Is the router connected to the Internet? I assume it is, therefore security issues will impact the router and the network. If a virus got into the router or the computers on the network, it could easily still be there.

Sent from my DROID Turbo using Tapatalk

 

[Rhody]

By computer do you mean tablet or phone? If so i wouldn't care. Ive used hotel wireless. Otherwise why would you take a computer to a remote mountain cabin? Anyway without any specific training in the field it sounds super low risk.

 

[WalterK]

Is the router connected to the Internet? ...

Yes.

By computer do you mean tablet or phone?...

Tablet or laptop.

...why would you take a computer to a remote mountain cabin?...

It's more just an example to say the router is physically far enough away to keep passers-by from getting a connection.

 

[TreadwayJohnA]

Q1. Because of the remoteness of the router, and the fact that only one person can use at a time make it safe to use?
Q2. Can the wifi router itself hold-on to an infection and pass it on to your computer?
​

1- Hacking is serious work, most ethical hackers train for years just to pass the industry certifications. With that said, unless your friend is rich or a celebrity no one is likely to directly hack the router. Secondly, there is always a risk of malware, with any device when using wireless connectivity.
2- However; the risk is slim to none that a virus transmitted over the router has actually impregnated it with malware to transmit to other devices... This would be a very difficult undertaking, therefore not worth a hackers time unless the pay-off would be grand.

Conclusion: If your system is running any type of reputable anti-virus you should be golden, I wouldn't worry about it. With that said, ask any InfoSec professional and they will advise that it is never really wise to transmit personal data (SSN, Banking Info, etc.) over a wireless connection.
​

 

[John Rose]

By computer do you mean tablet or phone? If so i wouldn't care. Ive used hotel wireless. Otherwise why would you take a computer to a remote mountain cabin?

Portable computers pre-date the interwebs by at least a decade.
You could balance your check book, organize your recipes, write a novel, print out missing pet posters, play Zork.

 

[Rhody]

Yes.



Tablet or laptop.



It's more just an example to say the router is physically far enough away to keep passers-by from getting a connection.

The wi fi should have a password to keep neighbors off.

Portable computers pre-date the interwebs by at least a decade.
You could balance your check book, organize your recipes, write a novel, print out missing pet posters, play Zork.

Zork! Hilarious

 

[Go West Young Man]

Look, *nothing* is 100% certain in life, but the odds of a malicious bit of code residing in a specific router just waiting for you to log on is as close to zero as possible. Modern computer operating systems (including tablets and phones) are smart enough not to get compromised unless the user actively and positively approves or installs something they shouldn't have (or is tricked into....)

 

[MHBru]

there are definitely router based viruses and I have had one. normal scanning did not find it but cox.com contacted me to say that they saw it. it was a key stroke logger. I was able to get rid of it but did reset every password. the probability may not be high but it is certainly well above zero. take no chances.

 

[StillShaving]

I would not worry even if a known infected computer (or phone) had connected to the cabin wifi router in a previous visit. Though that infected computer would have physically connected to the cabin network it does not directly connect to the router as an endpoint device, it is merely using it in order to get its internet packets forwarded on to the internet at large. So once the infected computer was removed from the network there should not be any residual infection left behind.

A very unlikely scenario that I would not worry about...If the cabin had been previously visited by some sinister person and the wifi router supported open source firmware. Then in theory a person could have installed a custom software load onto the cabin router that does bad things on behalf of the bad person. Such as log/copy all traffic sent through it, or intercepting DNS requests (which tells your computer how to reach Home - Badger & Blade) and redirects you to some bogus website instead of the real website. If you use secure connections (https) you should not worry very much.

 

[H4nk]

This is not something that would concern me.

 

[Raissermesser]

Zork! Hilarious

>Look
>You are in a shaving den with little shelves of razors, all the same.

 

[WalterK]

PART 2 (there is only two)

Thank-you very much for the information thus far.


Now we've come out of the cabin and gone to the town library and then the donut shop. Both have free WIFI of unknown security with 50 random devices connected to them at the same time.

I gather that just browsing the net, without logging onto anything should be reasonably safe.

Would the simple act of logging onto forum sites (like the B&B) or e-mail account place a computer (i.e. laptop or tablet) at a greater risk of comput-o-cooties?



I'll never purchase or online bank on an unknown connection...so I won't even ask about those.

 

[Esox]

Q1. Because of the remoteness of the router, and the fact that only one person can use at a time make it safe to use?

Assuming its actually a modem with a number of ports available to connect too, is it safe? Yes. If it has router capabilities, thats a hardware firewall and highly secure when hardwired. Being wireless, its only as safe as the password is strong. Being in a remote location, someone close enough to connect to it would stand out and they would only be connecting to the wireless signal, not your computer. Thats a different ballgame.

Q2. Can the wifi router itself hold-on to an infection and pass it on to your computer?

Possibly, but that would entail compromising the software in the modem itself. Not an easy task but not impossible. If you want to make sure, virtually all have a Reset button that when pressed will reset the software to factory defaults. At which point, because its a remote location and may have specific connection properties, it may not connect lol.

Would logging onto forum sites (like the B&B) or e-mail account place a computer (i.e. laptop or tablet) at a greater risk of comput-o-cooties?

Not generally, but be sure to set the browser, if needed, to not remember or store login information.

 

[Rhody]

PART 2 (there is only two)

Thank-you very much for the information thus far.


Now we've come out of the cabin and gone to the town library and then the donut shop. Both have free WIFI of unknown security with 50 random devices connected to them at the same time.

I gather that just browsing the net, without logging onto anything should be reasonably safe.

Would the simple act of logging onto forum sites (like the B&B) or e-mail account place a computer (i.e. laptop or tablet) at a greater risk of comput-o-cooties?



I'll never purchase or online bank on an unknown connection...so I won't even ask about those.

i think you are fine
just p m me your accounts and pin numbers so i can check

 

[Toothpick]

I wouldn’t be concerned. Routers do not have an operating system so chances are very slim. It would have to be a malware that was planted on the router. Chances of a malware being planted on a router that is rarely used and resides in Timbuktu....

Don’t transmit any personal data. When you get back home run a virus scan. Badda bing badda boom. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.

 

[StillShaving]

PART 2 (there is only two)

Thank-you very much for the information thus far.


Now we've come out of the cabin and gone to the town library and then the donut shop. Both have free WIFI of unknown security with 50 random devices connected to them at the same time.

I gather that just browsing the net, without logging onto anything should be reasonably safe.

Would the simple act of logging onto forum sites (like the B&B) or e-mail account place a computer (i.e. laptop or tablet) at a greater risk of comput-o-cooties?



I'll never purchase or online bank on an unknown connection...so I won't even ask about those.

Just browsing the internet in a public hotspot from your laptop/smartphone should be reasonably safe. Someone could be sitting there trying to figure out what device/OS you are running in order to try and exploit some bug in it, but I think many of the weak links in protocols that handle initial configuration and joining the network have been plugged. You would not want to use a weak security protocol like WEP, but even then again you probably would not care when accessing a public forum like B&B.

I am no expert on these matters, but I believe downloading and executing unknown attachments in email or from websites is the #1 easiest way to become infected. Then there are a whole bunch of web related attacks where one site can gain access to cookies (stored in your web browser) and use them. For instance when you logged onto B&B you likely checked the option to remain logged in, so after you rebooted your computer you were magically back on the site and "logged in" without reentering your password. (Notice how your bank does not support that). If another website could get access to that stored information through browser exploits they could masquerade as you, then change your password and lock you out of your own account. And when is the last time you have seen a Flash video or website written in flash....I believe Steve Jobs prohibited iphones from supporting flash in part because of security flaws that would open the iPhone up to exploits.

 

[WalterK]

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and advice.

I'm not a big tech guy, so I got some good tips and info from this thread.

 

[jruschme]

I wouldn’t be concerned. Routers do not have an operating system so chances are very slim. It would have to be a malware that was planted on the router. Chances of a malware being planted on a router that is rarely used and resides in Timbuktu....

Don’t transmit any personal data. When you get back home run a virus scan. Badda bing badda boom. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.

Routers actually do have an operating system. Usually, it is a specialized one designed for embedded systems but, often, it is a version of Linux.

As for infection of a router, it does happen. Usually the virus is intended to make the router part of a botnet. The infection vector, however, is less likely to be a device connecting to the wireless network than a direct attack over the Internet.

 

[WalterK]

Thanks for the info jruschme