How do I stay internet safe when travelling?

If looking at purchase of something or looking at bank statement, use only your smart phone. You can tether and create a hot spot.

Whatever you do - DO NOT update any programs while away from home. A false update is an easy way to plant a keylogger.

rwbradley wrote:
Unfortunately there are a lot of opinions on this topic and not a lot of expert advice. As a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), I can say, the best advice posted so far is buy a MIFI hotspot and do not use public WIFI for anything sensitive like banking.
Unfortunately where opinion seems to get in the way of reality is regarding advice on WHEN public WIFI can be safe. Public WIFI can NEVER be trusted to do sensitive things like banking. The problem with public WIFI is that you can never be sure that the Starbucks WIFI that your phone sees is truly put up by Starbucks even when you are parked outside Starbucks. I can easily create a WIFI network called Starbucks and then I can watch every packet of data pass thru my "fake" Starbucks network on its way to the bank. HTTPS will not even protect you as it is easy to generate a fake Certificate and most users do not realize that a certificate does two things, one is to encrypt the data and the other is to prove the owner. Most users would never know that they are getting a fake certificate from a fake Starbucks network and that their data is being decrypted, thus being able to steal their password and then re-encrypting it and forwarding it on to the proper destination (your bank).
Yes it is unlikely to happen to you, but it is easy to do, high school kid easy. Do you want to risk someone getting your banking information or other sensitive info and putting a mortgage on your home and then transferring the money to the Grand Caymans? Don't ever risk using public WIFI for anything sensitive without using a VPN to secure your traffic, it is just not worth the risk to be "that guy" who got hacked.
I did a write up on my blog on Internet Safety while RVing. Part 3 addresses WIFI security and Part 4 addresses VPN's.
Link

Post some real life PROOF of REAL folks who have been CERTIFIED BY A THIRD PARTY that they got hacked by using a public wifi..

Many people YACK that it is not safe, but yet they (and you) offer no real life CERTIFIED EXAMPLES as proof.

Is it possible? Sure, but in real life, since you are an "expert" on the subject you should be able to offer real examples and even numbers on how many have been hacked..

I would bet, that if you could even offer proof, most of those folks would have already been hacked via Malware BEFORE hopping on a free wifi..

Unfortunately there are a lot of opinions on this topic and not a lot of expert advice. As a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), I can say, the best advice posted so far is buy a MIFI hotspot and do not use public WIFI for anything sensitive like banking.
Unfortunately where opinion seems to get in the way of reality is regarding advice on WHEN public WIFI can be safe. Public WIFI can NEVER be trusted to do sensitive things like banking. The problem with public WIFI is that you can never be sure that the Starbucks WIFI that your phone sees is truly put up by Starbucks even when you are parked outside Starbucks. I can easily create a WIFI network called Starbucks and then I can watch every packet of data pass thru my "fake" Starbucks network on its way to the bank. HTTPS will not even protect you as it is easy to generate a fake Certificate and most users do not realize that a certificate does two things, one is to encrypt the data and the other is to prove the owner. Most users would never know that they are getting a fake certificate from a fake Starbucks network and that their data is being decrypted, thus being able to steal their password and then re-encrypting it and forwarding it on to the proper destination (your bank).
Yes it is unlikely to happen to you, but it is easy to do, high school kid easy. Do you want to risk someone getting your banking information or other sensitive info and putting a mortgage on your home and then transferring the money to the Grand Caymans? Don't ever risk using public WIFI for anything sensitive without using a VPN to secure your traffic, it is just not worth the risk to be "that guy" who got hacked.
I did a write up on my blog on Internet Safety while RVing. Part 3 addresses WIFI security and Part 4 addresses VPN's.
Link

Mostly the issue is overblown. You're more likely to get your password stolen from the people who store it than get it stolen from a public Wifi. Can it happen, sure it can. Will it happen, not very likely. Stick to known wifi, don't connect with a suspicious site. Avoid sites that are labeled "Here's some free wifi", "Use this site safely", etc.

Simple.
Don't contact "critical" sites while not at home.
That is any site that could cost you money if someone steals your password.

If that's not possible....be realistic here.....most any recent smart phone can do your own WiFi hotspot and it won't be a problem. Your cell phone provider can show you how to do that.

You really won't have any concerns IF you ensure that whatever connection you make has the httpS (S is critical!) preface. Do not enter any user names or passwords without that type (secure) connection. If you establish and https connection with your banking then anything entered after that is fully secured.
NO banking site should ever ask you to enter any personal information prior to making that connection.
If you have a smart phone then that comes with a data plan and you can use the hot spot feature to do other private surfing which is also fully secure.
If you use a public WiFi to do a Google search for nearby campgrounds or the like then you can use public WiFi Willy Nilly! Others will disagree, but I have been doing it for more years than I can remember and I have never had an issue of any kind. I use park WiFi EVERY TIME it is available. I use McDonald's and similar connections anytime I feel like it. What I do not do is connect to a random WiFi network that is not affiliated with a business I am patronizing.

X2 avoid public internet, especially ones trying to be too obvious like "open access" or "free internet", those are thieves looking to steal your information.

Never use any wifi that doesn't require a password. these are unencrypted networks, everyone else on the network has access to your traffic.

Yvonnemzz wrote:
I am new to RVing and travelling. How do I stay internet safe whilst using public wifi on sites etc so that I can keep in contact with personal banking sites etc whilst away from home? Not very computer savvy so simple instructions if possible. Thanks.

Abstain from Internet?

But seriously, if you are this concerned then perhaps you should invest/spend on your own personal wireless Internet.. That can be a wireless "hot spot" from your cellphone provider or a dedicated cellular card for your PC..

YES, providing your own Internet is not cheap but for "peace of mind" for yourself it may be the best way..

However, I do think many of these worries about free wifi being totally unsafe is a bit overblown out of proportion.. Many folks use free wifi, and yet, I have never seen any complaints posted around the wobbly web of those folks getting hacked..

The only concern I would have is if someone was spoofing a free wifi connection but I think even that would be a bit overblown..

Banking sites will use a secure connection (https) and you should see a little "lock" symbol when connected to a bank site.. When you have that little lock symbol the actual communications are encrypted (meaning the bad guys can't view the info being sent).

I never use WiFi even in town. We have pour own hotspots to gain access to the internet.