Warning about wireless broadband!

[barbarp]

Hi peeps,
just thought I would bring this one to your notice! I'm not sure how many of you have heard about blue snarfing {intercepting someone's blue tooth signal and using it to access whats on their phone, it's how Paris Hilton got her address book nicked}.
Well apparantly you can have the same thing happen if you have wireless broadband, this came to my attention because a friend of mine's girlfriend turned up in a state saying 'He's been talking to other girls on the internet and downloading porn and he's telling me he hasn't and waaaah..' {shortened version of a v.v.v.v long rant }
Anyway to cut a long story short we eventually figured out that a lot of the emails etc had been sent when he was at work and doesn't have access to a computer. They contacted a company for advice and found that they had been 'snarfed' because bank details had also been accessed!
There is a lot of good advice on the web about how to avoid this but heres the top tips I've found.

1. Use unusual passwords that are harder to guess , so not maiden name, d.o.b, pet's name etc Use things like made up words, obscure medical terms , what ever takes your fancy!

2. Always clear the private data when you've been on the internet {To do this you go to tools, then either clear private data or options then clear private data. Make sure and clear the cookies and browsing history because these can be an easy route in for viruses}

3.Change the settings on your computer to WI FI protected access, this makes the signal invisible rather than public.

4.Turn off the bluetooth setting when you don't use it and don't leave things on factory settings!!

5. Check your computer and your bank statements regularly for signs of misuse such as strange emails going out, websites you haven't visited in the browsing history and strange bank transactions .