.png)
Free public Wi-Fi networks are popping up everywhere - at the airport, Starbucks, your local music school... These networks are a big convenience, but you should be aware of your security settings so you don't put your computer and data at risk. When you connect to a network, there may be a firewall protecting you from the outside world and everyone else on the Internet, but when you connect to a local network, you're basically putting your trust in that network and everyone else on it - not a good idea in public! In addition to file sharing, many of these wireless hot spots are unencrypted to make it easy for people to connect, but this could leave you vulnerable to malicious users in the coffee shop who could monitor your keystrokes!