When you are using a computer that isn’t yours, whether it is a public kiosk computer or belongs to someone you know, the risk of data theft is higher.
Consider what data you may be placing at risk when using a computer that can’t be trusted, and do not access confidential data from an untrusted computer.
Public computer kiosks should not be trusted
Always question the security of both the computer and the network. There are many unknowns when using a public computer:
- How is the computer maintained? Is the software up to date? Have steps been taken to ensure the computer is secure? Hotels, convention centers, airports, and the like generally outsource technical support services, so you are gambling on the integrity of both the institution’s staff and the company providing the service.
- Who has been on the computer? Have malicious programs been installed? Is someone watching your network traffic? When you are on a computer you don’t own, a keylogger could be recording everything you type. This means you may unknowingly expose your passwords and other information could be stolen even if you are sending them via a secure (https) web session. They will be captured before they go out over the network.
Good practices when surfing the web from a computer you don’t trust
Avoid using your NetID and password, and if possible don’t access online business or banking services. If you must do either, follow these steps as soon as you have finished.
- In the browser, clear the cookies, cache, and history before you quit.
- Exit or quit the browser when you are finished.
- Change your NetID password when you are working at a trusted computer again.
