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WiFi For Montana
E-mail us if we're missing your favorite Hot Spot
Helena
Bert & Ernies 361 N Last Chance Gulch
Downtown Helena 431 N Benton Ave
General Mercantile 413 N Last Chance Gulch
Gourmet to Go 48 N Last Chance Gulch
Grimes Motors Customer Lounge
Nirvana - Great Northern Center
Perkins Family Restaurant 1803 Cedar
Sara's Porkies - 2104 N. Main
Staggering Ox Restaurant 400 Euclid Ave.
Taco DelSol 101 N Last Chance Gulch
Windbag Saloon 19 S Last Chance Gulch
Billings
KOA Corporate Office 550 North 31 Street 4th Floor
Log Cabin Bakery 2519 Montana Ave
McCormick Cafe 2419 Montana Ave.
Sports Page / American Classic Pizzeria 1423 Broadwater
Butte
Finlen Hotel & Motor Inn 100 East Broadway
Great Falls
Cool Beans Coffee Pub 512 Central Ave
Days Inn of Great Falls 101 14th AV NW
Great Falls Public Library 301 2nd Ave North
MPI-WiFi 922 1st Ave No; Suite 1
Lewistown
Lewistown Public Library 701 W. Main
Missoula
Liquid Planet 223 N. Higgins Ave.
Missoula Public Library 301 E. Main St
West Glacier
KOA West Glacier 355 Halfmoon Flats Road
West Yellowstone
Send It Home 27 Madison , West Yellowstone
West Yellowstone Web Works 27 Geyser St
Whitefish
North Forty Resort 3765 Hwy 40 West
Whitehall
Fish Creek House Bed and Breakfast 5913 Mt Hwy 41
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Security - Something
To Keep In Mind
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- What comes to mind when you think of wireless Web surfing? It may not be security, or lack of it. There are nearly 30,000 public wireless "hot spots" in the United States at places such as parks and cafes, but there's more to consider than just where to log on. The convenience comes with a caveat.
"Understand that the information you're sending is very similar to standing up here in the park and shouting out all the information -- would I normally do that?" said Richard Rushing, a wireless expert with security firm Air Defense who visited an Atlanta park to show security vunerabilities.
Rushing is considered an "ethical hacker" and works with companies to strengthen their wireless networks. He said many people don't realize they could have all their personal data stolen while checking out their checking account.
"It's great to be able to sit somewhere and work without having any wires attached, no nothing attached, but you have that risk that it comes back to," Rushing said.
At the park, Rushing was able to log onto an unsecured hotel wireless signal in a matter of seconds. To illustrate how vulnerable such networks can be, Rushing then sent an e-mail and intercepted the entire contents of the message. He could've done the same thing to any of the dozens of people sitting nearby in the park.
"At any point in time, I can reach out and touch everyone's laptop at the hot spot, and there's usually not any way of preventing that -- from me touching and looking at other people's stuff at the hot spot itself," Rushing said.
He also demonstrated a growing concern called "evil twins" -- fake wireless hot spots that look like the real thing.
For example, he said, a hacker could be sitting around the corner sending out a wireless signal. It may look like a legitimate one, even offering people a chance to sign up for service. But if you log on, the hacker then would have complete access to your machine.
He said anybody with some tech know-how and the right tools can break into the basic level of wireless security that's commonly used. There are even how-to video instructions online.
Rushing said people need to imagine that nothing is truly private at a wireless hot spot.
"A lot of the time you really want to stay away from doing certain things at the hot spot that you would normally not do if you knew somebody would be watching," he said.
Nevertheless, Rushing doesn't discourage using wireless. He tells people to be aware of what they're sending and the potential for theft. In other words, it's a good chance to read the baseball scores, but even if you're sitting by yourself, it doesn't mean you are all alone.
There may be no wires attached, but the convenience still comes with strings. |