Gprs And Security And

[libya 115]

Sometimes I use GPRS for internet connection in Pattaya: it is very reliable so far. However how safe is banking with GPRS. Can my passwords etc. be intercepted by air, is dial-up safer for banking?

Also; at present I use a USB cable to NOKIA phone, I was considering buying a bluetooth dongle. What are security issues with bluetooth? Would I be transmitting data to everyone with a bluetooth phone within 30 metres?

If I bought a bluetooth USB dongle; does it come with installation software? Or does XP detect it automatically? Is installation of a dongle easy?

Thanks in advance for answers and opinions.

[Para]

Bluetooth does have its security flaws but I would be more concerned with your computer anti-virus/firewall. If you are looking to do your internet banking I would strongly reccomend buying a full (read legit) copy of either Nortons or McAfee Internet suite packages. I know there are other flavours of softeware but these two are IMO the best around.

I used to use BT to connect my laptop to the Internet via my Nokia and never had any problems. The BT device you buy will come with software and is easy enough to install.

You will have to create a pairing with your phone dont panic the software will guide you through this.

Edited August 31, 2006 by Para

[Crushdepth]

Sometimes I use GPRS for internet connection in Pattaya: it is very reliable so far. However how safe is banking with GPRS. Can my passwords etc. be intercepted by air, is dial-up safer for banking?

It is quite safe so long as you have a secure connection to the bank website, ie. while visiting pages that display a padlock in the corner of your browser. People should not be able to grab your passwords from such pages as they will be encrypted. However, on non-secure pages yes your passwords can be intercepted (we accidentally collected a huge number of passwords at work when our engineer accidentally left our webserver as an open proxy). This sort of thing is more likely to happen at some further point down the chain so I don't think dial up is any safer than GPRS.

One thing about the 'secure connection' icon is that it only tells you that the connection is encrypted. It doesn't tell you *who* you are securely connected to - could be a fake bank website for example. To be sure, click on the padlock to view the security certificate - if it is issued in the name/site you are trying do business with then it is probabaly genuine. If the certifcate name doesn't match the site/business then don't use it.

Also; at present I use a USB cable to NOKIA phone, I was considering buying a bluetooth dongle. What are security issues with bluetooth? Would I be transmitting data to everyone with a bluetooth phone within 30 metres?

If you play around with the bluetooth settings on your computer there is an option to encrypt most services (not sure how well though). I think it is possible to listen in on bluetooth but this would probably be done by a geek with a bluetooth laptop and a specialised setup and no life, other mobile users are not really an issue. Anyway, if you have an encrypted connection to your bank then it shouldn't matter as they won't be able to read it.

If I bought a bluetooth USB dongle; does it come with installation software? Or does XP detect it automatically? Is installation of a dongle easy?

They do usually come with software needed to make use of different functions etc. XP can detect the dongle automatically but you *really don't want it to*, because the microsoft drivers are awful, have limited functionality, and can be difficult to get rid of (I can't seem to uninstall mine). Usually the manual says install the software before you plug in the dongle.

Edited August 31, 2006 by Crushdepth

[libya 115]

Thanks for that info. Crushdepth: I will buy a dongle soon. Does that mean I can have a laptop bluetooth enabled and keep the mobile phone in my pocket while surfing the web?

[Crushdepth]

Yes, but I have found that the GPRS doesn't always work well if you are 'wearing' the phone. In a bag nearby is better.

[Gary A]

I know very little about security except that my phone always asks me if I will accept a connection. I use a USB Billionton Bluetooth dongle and it "pairs" with my phone. The first time it pairs you have to enter a PIN. After that the phone only prompts you to accept or reject the pairing. You make up the PIN yourself and enter it in your phone and then your computer the first time only. My phone also shows which device I'm paired with so I'd have to say the security is pretty good.

ADDED - The software that comes with the dongle is simple to use. Windows XP detects the dongle and loads software for it but I couldn't get it to work. I went to device manager and deleted the Microsoft drivers then installed the software that came with the dongle. There is a conflict if you allow both sets of drivers on your computer. After installing your software, load the dongle program and plug in the dongle when it asks for it or Windows will install their drivers. It works very well and is easy to use IF you allow the dongle to use its own software.

Edited September 1, 2006 by Gary A

[Simmo]

I know very little about security except that my phone always asks me if I will accept a connection. I use a USB Billionton Bluetooth dongle and it "pairs" with my phone. The first time it pairs you have to enter a PIN. After that the phone only prompts you to accept or reject the pairing. You make up the PIN yourself and enter it in your phone and then your computer the first time only. My phone also shows which device I'm paired with so I'd have to say the security is pretty good.

You can setup your phone to always allow connections from your paired computer so you don't have to click accept all the time.