Re: Laptop, wi-fi, VPN, no firewall -- what's safe?

["Mike the Code Monkey" <koldark@xxxxxxxxx>]

This can get complicated quickly and this is based on what I understand.

Using unencrypted WiFi is normally okay as long as you are using a secure
connection to connect to your personal email accounts and other "private
things" you may look at.

If the VPN was setup properly, they are using a secure connection and you
are okay. If they aren't using a secure connection, then anyone can sniff
the traffic you are sending to work.

The laptop should have the firewall installed or enabled. If it isn't
enabled, theroretically someone could hijack your laptop and use your
connection to your workplace to... well... do what they want. The firewall
on Windows XP is normally good enough to keep most people out.

On 5/25/06, Dan <dan27649@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I am using a company-issued laptop that has Contivity VPN Client
> installed.
> I had my first Wi-Fi experience last night (at a microbrewery watching
> Tigers baseball! Yeah!); the connection was "unsecured".  Was I
> "vulnerable"
> while I was connnected through the VPN client?  It seems to me that the
> VPN
> only protects the company network, but doesn't necessarily protect
> anything
> on my laptop.
>
> There is no firewall running on this laptop and the "setup" has Windows
> Firewall turned off and unable to be turned on (greyed out).  The network
> guys said that the firewall is on the network.  I asked about the scenario
> I
> presented above and I think they are looking at installing the Symnatec
> firewall they half-expected would be installed already.
>
> TIA,
> Dan