Computer and Internet Security: Understanding Unsecured Wireless Connection

Since they are openly traveling through air, the signals
from an Unsecured Wireless Connection are susceptible
to prying. To secure them, one can use Wi-Fi Protected
Access (WPA and WPA2).

Failing that, one can tunnel traffic over some form
of virtual private networking software or only access
secure versions of online services. Examples of the
latter approach would be the use of HTTPS instead of
HTTP and IMAP with SSL rather than plain IMAP.

Anti-Virus Software won't work since it only stops
harmful programs from executing. Firewalls won't help
either because they only screen traffic. And Access
Lists are useless because they just disallow certain
machines from the network. This isn't to say Anti-virus
Software, Firewalls, and Access Lists are inappropriate
overall--they are so just with regards to the situation
at hand.