27 Using A Shared Computer

A highly regarded internet security specialist ended one of his lectures with the statement ‘if you have a computer at home that is used by a teenager, do not, whatever you do, do any online banking or internet shopping on that machine. Within 3 months, it’ll probably be compromised with trojans and viruses, regardless of what you do!’

This may seem somewhat extreme, but unfortunately it is a reality. If you can, avoid sharing a computer with other people. It will go a long way in increasing your overall internet security. The same applies for letting friends use computers, especially teenage boys!  If you have a requirement for multiple users, seriously consider addressing those needs with a tablet device, which are available to suit all budgets. Like a metal chain, your overall internet security is only as strong as the weakest link. If you share a computer with others in your family, consider using separate user profiles with restrictions on admin access, as anyone one of them could click yes to something that you know to be a scam or a virus, but they would probably think that they were being helpful.

Internet cafes are based around the concept of sharing computers, which presents a certain dilemma, because from a security point of view they are best avoided. Just how safe is a computer at an internet café?  High end establishments may offer systems that effectively reset the entire computer for each user, while the lower end of the market may have next to no security or may even be setup to harvest information from the start. Personally, I’d avoid them and invest in a smartphone with a large monthly data allowance.

There is one situation though where you often have no choice but to login into your email on a shared computer, namely to print your boarding passes for the return flight when on holiday. One way around this is to setup a new free webmail account on something like Outlook.com with a unique password and forward any necessary flight emails from your smartphone to this new email address. Once you have printed everything you need from the hotel ‘business centre’ you can then cancel the account once you get home. Alternatively, if you have logged in to a hotel computer, consider changing your password from a smartphone as soon as you can.

Remember, do not, do any online banking, online shopping or anything that requires you to enter any bank or credit card details on a shared public computer in a hotel or internet cafe.

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