security on hotel wifi

[Tom_ZeCat]

This isn't specifically a Linux question, but I really trust you guys. I'm moving from Boise, ID back to Omaha, NE and will be staying in hotels since it's not drivable in one day. I have Kubuntu on my main laptop. However, I also have a little netbook with Windows 7 and Quicken for tracking my finances. (I tried KMymoney, but I'm so skilled at Quicken and so used to it I can't give it up.) Anyway, I'm going to type all receipts into Quicken so that I keep meticulous track of my money on this trip. At home I always download the Quicken account activity as a web connect file, and do frequent reconciliations to make sure everything is cool. However, I'm nervous about doing that on a hotel's wifi, especially since the Quicken is on a Windows PC. Is there some way I could safely access my banking info via the hotel wifi or is it just too risky to even try? Should I just wait until I get to Omaha and get set up with Internet before I do such a thing? Would it be any safer accessing my bank's web site with my Kubuntu laptop? I could conceivably download the web connect file in Kubuntu and then move it over to the Windows netbook and then use that to import the transactions. Any safer or still a bad idea?

[claydoh]

It may be considered risky, but if Quicken itself is connecting to your bank using encrypted connection (very likely) you should be OK. Even downloading the file manually would also would be safe iirc as you'd be connecting to your bank with https as well

Using a VPN to connect to the web is best bet, as that creates an encrypted tunnel from you to somewhere outside the hotel, and then to the internet. However, I am not sure how safe things are on a shared network in relation to your files and folders being visible to others at the hotel. You probably are, unless you do silly things like sharing your entire C: drive or something. Windows defender or some such firewall will be useful.

If I was worried about it, I would manually add my items to kmymoney quicken, without downloading any data and reconciling until you were on a private connection. Log in to your bank's site and visually check things , maybe, to see if everything is kosher.

But really all you probably need to protect is your porn stash movie collection

[GreyGeek]

Can you create and use a VPN connection so you are encrypted out and back?

[Teunis]

The modem (Fritz!Box) I use at home has a build in VPN server and like today when I'm in a hotel that is the first thing I connect to once I'm on the hotel's WIFI.

From there on no one else on the Hotel WIFI can see what is going through this tunnel.
The 'disadvantage' is neither can I access the shares of the other guests

Some VPN protocols can have a so called DNS leak, there are several websites offering a leak detection service, vpnc that I use seems to be clean.