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Travelers often find themselves using public computers and with public computers come security risks. The focus of such risks usually lies on one major concern: keyloggers. Passpack offers Disposable Logins (aka One Time Passwords) as protection against keyloggers, which you create before traveling. And there are numerous other tips available (here are a few from Nomad4ever) to ward off potential keyloggers. Are security risks on public computers limited only to possible keyloggers on your Operating System and/or peripheral hardware? Can there be a hidden risk on your browser itself?
Sometimes danger can be disguised as a friendly tool directly in the browser.
Another Disguised Threat…
Some add-ons/extensions and plug-ins have the ability to turn from helpful into harmful. Add-ons and plug-ins have revolutionized computing today but like anything else, if misused, you may find yourself with something more than keyloggers to worry about. For example, a few of the most popular plug-ins that give great leeway and optimization to browsers are Greasemonkey and IE7Pro. Both allow users to write a client-side script so keep in mind…
When you write the script and you put it on your own computer, there is no need to worry. But who’s to verify that they are not misused or created with the wrong intent, placed on a public computer, and made to capture personal data? It’s something to be aware of.
How Do You Look Out For Add-on/Plug-in Misuse?
When you are using any public computer, your best bet is to check which add-ons/extensions or plug-ins have been installed. Most won’t have that many add-ons or plug-Ins if any at all since people don’t generally spend so much time at one given computer. If you do notice anything that may pose a possible threat, disable it immediately if possible. If you need administrative access to do so, which is very likely, ask! And if you see more add-ons than necessary, you’re probably better off just changing computers.
Sometimes you can’t avoid working from a computer that is not your own. Unnecessary risks that places like internet cafes and library computers are avoidable. Don’t fall victim to an unpopularized risk – check your browser!