Out of Office Experience

Ever wonder how a certain VP candidate and a Simple Life celebrity got their email hacked? Their "forgot your password" questions were too obvious.

You'll get very good tips on email security from the article Being Smart About Web Mail.

The article also alludes to Gmail as being more secure than Hotmail and Yahoo Mail.

How easy is it for someone to hack into your gmail account? Apparently it's pretty easy for someone with the right knowhow and equipment to steal your username and password. Watch the video from Defcon 2007 and view the slideshows from Wirelessly hacking Gmail and more - tutorial.

Having a firewall is one of the basics of protecting yourself when surfing public wifi. Two fo the best free firewalls are Comodo Firewall Pro and Online Armor Personal Firewall.

Visit Matousec's Firewall Challenge for a list of the best free and piad firewalls.

Using browsers with Tor makes surfing a bit more private and secure. Check out who uses Tor?

The easiest way to use Tor is to download browsers that incorporate it already: Tor, OperaTor and XeroBank browser.

Tor's not a foolproof solution though. Some hackers can use the network to steal usernames and passwords.

always use this address: https://mail.google.com. It'll make checking your email more secure. Without this extra layer of protection your emails can easily be intercepted and read by wifi snoops.

Lastly, go into your account settings. Under General > Browser Connection click on the "Always use https."

For more info check out Why You Should Turn Gmail’s SSL Feature On Now and Gmail HTTPS Doesn't Protect Account, New Setting Does.

Update
Be sure to check out Wired's Wiki on how to secure Gmail, Yahoo Mail and Hotmail.

In a place that offers free wifi, let's say a cafe or burger joint, where do people with laptops flock to the most? You'll find that they sit themselves at a table near an electrical socket.

If you're lucky enough to be at such a spot but unlucky enough that you find that both sockets are taken, what do you do? Wait for the other guy to finish charging his laptop? Wait for him to leave?

What if you had an extension cord with more than 1 socket with you? Now you can both share and everyone will be happy.