Hooking my laptop to the local university library, any security risks?

I am using XP.

Am I at risk?

I can take my laptop to the local university library and log in, no password, no ID . I can start my browser, and surf the net, and download to my HD.

I just ran the network control panel wizard.

At my home I do have my desktop and my laptop connected by a crossover cable. I do share a printer that is connected to my laptop..
When at the library do I need to change any settings ??

Thanks all

any time you are connected to a network with internet you are at a security risk.
as to how much...........depends

Are you connecting wireless or with ethernet??
if Wireless there is much more potential for security problems.

in XP thier is a built in firewall.
Is it enabled?? if yes you have SOME added security.
Are you running any other firewall client? (such as BlackIce or ZoneAlarm)
if yes....wonderful you shouldnt have MANY problems.

as far as connecting to public access there will be minimal you can do hardware side to protect yourself (Ex. firewall router)
The only thing I can think would be to make sure you have all the security patches from Microsoft and to run a software firewall client.


GUYS....any other sugestions????

The only way to be completely secure is to not be on the internet.

Nice job p0larbear.

If you have any open shares on your computer when connected to a public network you are vulnerable to someone browsing those shares.

What I would do is create a separate user on the laptop with no shared folders and use that profile when you log into the library network. That along with a personal firewall configured properly should secure your computer fairly well when connected to the public network.

Of course, there's not much you can do to protect against someone sniffing non-encrypted data on the wire or wireless signal. But, that's a discussion for another thread.

"What I would do is create a separate user on the laptop "
looks like a good idea :-)


I am connected by ethernet.

I am current with all MS security updates, I think :-)

How do I know if I am sharing documents?
I have cleaned out all folders(files) in My Network Neighborhood on my laptop.

How do I turn on the Firewall in XP?

will it affect performance, downloads etc?

How will I know if the librarian is observing my net surfing?

thanks all

If you spot them peering at you between book stacks with binoculars.

Seriously, any network admin can observe your net surfing and there's no way you could ever stop it or be aware of it. Just a fact of life on the net. Your network admin could be reading your email too, for all you know.

Seperate user is a good idea....

To turn on the firewall in XP go to the control panel - network connections
Right click on the Local Area Connection you are using when connected to the library - choose properties
Go to the advanced tab and you should see a checkbox for "Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this coputer from the internet"

as far as performance....you might see a little loss but I would not expect it.
When I have mine running I can tell no difference

I would highly recomend a good software personal firewall.
If I remember correctly I seen ZoneAlarm in IRD a few weeks ago for under $30 (I may be mistaken on price)
but that would be some of the best money you could spend to protect yourself

thanks all

Any shared folders will have a little hand supporting it in the icon. If you don't see any of those looking through explorer, you should be ok.

Another more detailed way to check is to click on the properties of the folder you want to check and click on the Security tab of the properties. If the box next to share this folder on the network is checked, then that means you're sharing documents which is a potential security hole. You'll probably want to uncheck it. I believe however, that almost all the folders are NOT shared unless you specifically choose to share them.

You should be ok, as I would assume you didn't manually share any folders with the outside world (correct?). Anyways, it's not THAT big of a security hole that I would worry about it. The ones that would worry me are if your Windows directory and/or documents (personal) directory were shared. The rest don't matter as much, but as a habit you should probably keep them protected unless there's a good reason not to.

F