wi-fi security?

[Dan Farrell]

On Wed, 5 Aug 2009 07:46:01 -0400
Zachary Uram <netrek at gmail.com> wrote:

> 2) How do I make my laptop more secure so others on wifi network can't
> steal or sniff my packets? [...] I heard many people using free wifi
> get heir passwords sniffed, etc.
> 
> Also another problem is that when at home I want my laptop to be able
> to share my DSL connection, right now my desktop is connected directly
> (static IP, no PPoE just raw ethernet frames) to the DSL modem and I
> was hoping I can keep this setup

Hi Zachary, 

Assuming your desktop is running linux as well, you should have all the
tools you need to set up strong security already at your disposal.  

if you configure your desktop as an openvpn server, and your laptop as
an openvpn client, then assuming you have a decent amount of bandwith
on your DSL, you can browse through any network you like and your data
can be securely tunneled through your home line.  

you can also tunnel traffic through SSH to a web proxy on the home
server.  whether this is a better option depends on your network
usage and your comfort level with setting up network services on the
home computer.