Which is safer to surf in free wi-fi locations... E or Wifi?

Question

Hello,
If I'm in a location which offers free wifi (my local coffee shop for instance), and I want to log onto my banking website, Ebay, etc., is it safer to use E (non wifi) or is if ok to use the faster wifi? I saw a show on Dateline NBC where they had some guy on his laptop "stealing" passwords from unsuspecting surfers. Can someone like this steal info if not using wifi?
Just wondering.
Thanks

Answer 1

Generally speaking, this is not a huge risk in practice, but packet sniffing does happen on a fairly widespread basis, and a typical user would have no idea that their unencrypted data was being collected as it traveled through the air in an unprotected manner. Sniffed traffic discloses unencrypted, clear text personal identifying information, account numbers and passwords, which is why it is potentially a substantial risk.
It's sort of like driving without a seat belt: there is little consequence until your vehicles is hit head-on at 55 mph by a vehicle going at approximately the same speed in the other direction. Then it matters a lot.
The levels of protection afforded by network carriers for over-the-air and 802.11x links vary. T-Mobile USA, for example…
• uses SIM-card-based network authentication and ciphered and encrypted data transmission to ensure your communications are safe and secure
• supports all major virtual private network (VPN) security protocols…
…on its GPRS/EDGE and—where available—higher speed carrier data links.
For commercial HotSpot™ access points, T-Mobile offers a number of options up to 802.1X Radius-authenticated links, which encrypt your data end-to-end between your computer and the access point. This is a no-charge but OPTIONAL service, and few users appear to take advantage of it. The iPhone does not support 802.1X, though most versions of Mac OS X do on Macintosh desktop and portable computers.
I cannot speak to what is offered by at&t for EDGE users, but I can assure you that typically open hotspot locations offer NO secure communications whatsoever for 802.11b/g or similar traffic!
If you are concerned about security, you should contact at&t for a definitive answer regarding the standard and optional protection afforded to cellular voice and data subscribers on their networks.