[Intrusions] Are Internet Cafes safe ?

[Matt Kirchhoff]

Quoth Andrew Daviel on 6/20/2005 6:26 PM:
> Let me rephrase that.
> 
> Is it possible to safely use a PC at an Internet Cafe to login to
> somewhere ? 

In short, no. If you didn't configure the system, you can't trust it.

Even if you *could* boot your own OS from external media, you *still*
can't trust the system. Consider the case of a sealed kiosk where a
hardware keylogger has been inserted between the keyboard and PC.

The definition of "safe," however, is debateable. Safe to browse news
sites, weather reports, movie times? Probably. Safe to check email, bank
accounts, or other authenticated sites? Probably not.

-- 
mek at pdx.edu