by David Strom
I have been on a few planes in the past couple of weeks that are
Wifi-enabled. American has created an entirely new opportunity for
identity thieves here, and while the opportunity to surf and email at
30,000 feet is tempting, count me out for those that will become
frequent users.
The problem is that most people get lost in the wonderfulness of the
Web and tend to forget that their seatmates can watch every move, see
every keystroke (it doesn't take much to follow along, especially at
the speed that many people type), and collect all sorts of
information. By the end of one flight I was on, I had Larry (not his
real name) the HP sales rep's Amazon account, read several of his
emails, got to see his new sales presentations that HP corporate sales
office had sent him, figured out that he was a recent hire as he was
checking HP's Intranet to understand some corporate travel policies,
found out who his clients that he had just visited were, and more.
Now, I wasn't really paying that much attention. I was tired, and just
wanted to be left by myself for the trip. And I think we exchanged
maybe ten words between us all told. But if I really wanted to do some
damage, I could be all over Larry's accounts by now (he had some nice
taste from what I could see he was looking for on Amazon, too).
Yes, people have been using laptops on planes for years. I used to do
it all the time, back when the middle seat was rarely occupied and you
didn't have to almost disrobe to get to the gate. But those days are
almost as much part of history as calling the people that worked on
planes stews. The difference is now that we have Internet piped
directly to the seat, people are free to go anywhere and everywhere,
and where they go are places that are critical to their life. I
wouldn't be surprised if someone was doing their online banking
in-flight.
So people (and HP, you might want to consider this a corporate-wide
purchase) if you are going online up in the air, get a privacy filter
for your laptop so that no one else can see your screen. They cost
about $30. This isn't complex technology: it has been available almost
as long as Windows has been around. And while you are at it, dim your
screens to save on power anyway (Larry had one of those nifty
power-packs to boost his battery, too). Or better yet: don't work on
anything important on a crowded plane - and these days, what other
kinds of planes are there? Bring a book or watch a movie if you must
be immersed in your electronic cocoon.
I am reminded of a story from my early days as a reporter for PC Week,
back in the late 1980s. We were very scoop-oriented, and would always
try to get information from the vendors through all sorts of means,
some of them probably unethical or at least uncomfortable in the light
of the present day. One of our reporters was having dinner with her
boyfriend (now husband) at a quaint and cozy Cambridge Mass.
restaurant, and overhead two businessmen at the next table gossiping
about work. What was unusual was they were speaking rapid German, and
both were working for Lotus Development, at the time a powerhouse
spreadsheet player. They were in town to discuss the company's future
product plans. Trouble was, my colleague spoke German fluently, and
got a couple of scoops that were published the next week in the paper.
No one knew who the source of the leak was.
Remember loose lips sink ships, the World War 2 posters put up by the
government? We need something similar on Wifi-enabled planes. Be
careful out there people. You never know whom you are sitting next to.
Comment and Contribute
