Pegontheroad

I'll be traveling for five weeks--four of them at a Goethe Institute in Germany. I don't have electronics, except for my low-tech cheapie cell phone, which I can't use in Europe. Therefore I depend on public computers for communication.

I know it's not safe to access my checking account on a public computer, so I thought I'd have my sister (at home) look at my checking account to see if there's anything I should know about.

However, I am wondering if there's any way I can personally check my accounts without being vulnerable to thieves, hackers, etc.

MmePerdu

We're all vulnerable to hackers and thieves, even at home, so I suggest you use both tactics, have your sister keep an eye on things and just take a chance when you must. The only losses I've suffered have been from credit card fraud at home and never on the road when I used public computers during years of travel. Sign out and close the browser windows after accessing an account and hope for the best because you'll almost surely be fine. Just have what you need in the accounts you access and if the worst happens, losses will be limited by that. But I believe it's very unlikely anything bad will happen.

Andrew

If you use a public computer, you're trusting the person who is in charge of it. You're also trusting that that person is smart enough to keep other people from installing keyloggers or even getting the computer infected accidentally.

Some public computers are setup in a way that means every time they reboot, everything from the last user is completely erased (rather, Windows is just restored to exactly the way it was before the last user got on), so that should be pretty safe. If it's just a random computer at some small B&B, it's less likely to be so secure. I was at a 4-star German hotel and used their public computer to print my boarding pass - and their seemed to be setup in that way that everything got erased at next boot, so in an emergency I'd probably use a computer like that. But someone's random Windows computer they let people use? No way.

Either way, you may need to let your bank know you will be accessing your accounts in this way. They can tell the computer accessing their site is located in Germany not in the US, so they should automatically put the shields up and ask you more security questions, etc. to prevent some hacker in Germany from trying to break in. They could simply disable your account if they detect suspicious access.

Personally, I'd rely on your sister - or buy a netbook or tablet to take with you.

sofarsogood

couple of tips here

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2400412,00.asp

http://www.getsafeonline.org/protect...lic-computers/

The only 100% way to guarantee security is to ask yourself if you can live without accessing your online account for a few weeks. Hopefully, the answer is yes.

MmePerdu

Ultimately, getting a netbook and more recently a tablet is what I did. It doesn't likely solve things absolutely but I'm sure it's safer and certainly more convenient. I suggest, as Andrew also did, you do the same. Free wifi is a very common thing now, everywhere.

elberko

Andrew, what do you think about a VPN? Not sure where I heard about it, but looks like a possibility.
https://www.witopia.net

~Liz

hetismij2

WiFi is also vulnerable though. It is easy for someone to set up a hotspot. It may look right, but they can be logging everything you do.

MmePerdu

Of course wifi is vulnerable. Everything is vulnerable to one extent or the other. Staying in bed at home isn't perfectly safe either, but we make choices and take our chances. It's called living. Try to minimize the risk, as we perceive it, then forget it and have fun.

bvlenci

Before I had a tablet, and when public wifi wasn't widespread here in Italy, I often used public computers. I carried a USB key that had an executable version of Firefox and Thunderbird, so that I didn't have to use any software installed on the public computer.

http://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable

Of course, these measures won't eliminate all risk. You might also want to change your password when you get back home. Also, set up notifications by your bank whenever any operation over a certain amount takes place.

bvlenci

If you do use a browser on a public computer, be sure to clear all cookies before you exit the browser.

Andrew

VPN is the most secure way to connect to sensitive websites when using your own device, but trying to connect to a VPN from a public computer would be impractical and probably self-defeating. The biggest danger on a public computer is a keylogger that could log your passwords. Connecting to a VPN only secures your network, not the computer.

On my recent trip to Germany, traveling with my netbook, I was able to connect to my VPN through all the WiFi networks I used except one - then I was still able to do so using my phone's hotspot instead of the hotel's WiFi. Even this wasn't 100% secure, as the recent Heartbleed OpenSSL bug confirms, but it would secure the WiFi itself for everything I do.

Kathie

I carry a small laptop, a MacBook Air, and I use a personal VPN, actually the one Liz cites above, witopia. I've used it all over the world without a problem. I wouldn't check bank and credit card and brokerage accounts without it.

Pegontheroad

Thanks for the answers.I'd love it if someone would buy me a MacBook Air or a Tablet and just give it to me. That's the only way I'll ever get those kinds of electronics. I'm retired and lazy, so I don't usually need them.

I think my best deal is to have my sister check my account.

I think sofarsogood has the right idea. I can live without checking my account for five weeks.

eliztravels2

I use the opposite approach and check my accounts frequently while away (using a tablet and wifi). Banking regulations here in Canada protect me if their security is ever breached so I keep a close eye on my accounts and will know to notify my bank or credit card provider if I see a problem. Yes, it would be a big nuisance if something happened while I'm away, but it could easily be a preauthorized payment that didn't go through or a NSF cheque that I had forgotten I'd written, or an unexpectedly high exchange rate on a credit card transaction.. any number of things that I would prefer to know about and take care of right away.

lavandula

Which Goethe-Institut are you going to?

Lavandula

crckwc1

Peg, I never check my bank account while I travel, usually for 4 or 5 weeks at a time. I make sure I have an adequate balance in the checking account for the automatic payments that will be due. Before I leave I pay, and sometimes pre-pay, bills that will be due. Then I pack my bag and my travel credit cards, get on the plane and forget about banks and bills. All of it will be waiting for me when I get home.

thursdaysd

You can buy an iPad mini, 16 GB, wifi only, on Amazon for $289, less than that on eBay, and even less used. Minimal exertion required.

Andrew

I saw a decent netbook on sale today for under $200 - but it sounds like Peg just doesn't want to buy one. Hey, I understand - some people just aren't "gadget" people.