NOTE TO computerconsultantsforum.com and forums.techcareerfubar.com USERS: This is the same site. Your login will work here. Use the "forgot password" function if you need help recovering your password.

Obvious fact: You're not logged in.

Therefore, you're only seeing the tip of the iceberg of great discussion threads on this site.

Get rid of this big black message box by joining here: http://mature-it.pro/register/

Who We Are: A collection of IT, engineering and sciences professionals, in a variety of current circumstances with a variety of career backgrounds. Including System admins, Developers and programmers, Freelancers and "gig" entrepreneurs, Contract, job shopping and FTE-employed contract house IT workers, Web developers, Inventors, and artists and writers with tech backgrounds.

We're smarter than the hive mind you've experienced on large tech discussion forums and groups. So register on the board - your email is NEVER sold or provided to third parties. Then LOGIN FREQUENTLY to see new stuff daily.

Join by Registering here: http://mature-it.pro/register/

« previous next »
Pages: 1 [2]   Go Down

Author Topic: Stuck in a hotel with public wifi  (Read 1280 times)

G0ddard B0lt

  • I absolutely DESPISE improvised sulfur-charcoal-salt peter cannons made out of hollow tree branches filled with diamonds as projectiles.
  • Trusted Member
  • Wise Sage
  • ******
  • Posts: 22672
  • Gorn Classic, user of Gornix
Re: Stuck in a hotel with public wifi
« Reply #15 on: March 05, 2018, 05:02:47 pm »
I got inspired. Here is how email works with encryption, assuming that VPN is not in use.

One thing to note is that email is clear (readable) text at the points noted in this diagram.  It will be clear text at specific places.

The email is clear text when it travels from one email provider such as Verizon to another such as Google. But this is the domain of the internet backbone and I am fairly certain that you'd have to work at an ISP in order to sniff this level of internet traffic, since this is where your data flows with thousands or millions of other users.

The email is also clear text in the hands of the source as well as the destination email provider. 

So, you have to trust email providers an awful lot when using normal email systems.

Protonmail would result in the message never being clear text when it leaves your workstation and only becomes clear text to the eyes of the recipient.

Code: [Select]

+--------------------+
|                    |
|   Email User Sender| *** Original message in clear text ***
|   Sends Message    |
|                    |
|   (workstation or  |
|   mobile phone's   |
|   email client     |
|   software)        |
+--------------------+
          |
          | SMTP with SSL encryption flowing
          | over the hotel WIFI and out to the
          | email service of the user's choice
          |
          | If you use a VPN this is the ONLY
          | level affected.
          |
+--------------------+
|   Web              |
|   Email (Verizon,  |
|   Yahoo, Gmail,etc)|
|                    |
+--------------------+
          |
          | SMTP clear text, no encryption
          | The intertubes/public backbone
          | The domain of ISP servers
          | Not accessible by normies,
          | commoners, hotel guests, etc.
          | *** Original message in clear text ***
          |
+--------------------+
|   Web              |
|   Email (Verizon,  |
|   Yahoo, Gmail,etc)|
|   SMTP server      |
+--------------------+
          |
          | Mail queue, with a server such
          | as Dovecot that provides
          | email on request of POP3 server.
          | (internal to email servers, accessible
          | by employees, may or may not be encrypted)
          | *** Original message in clear text ***
          |
+------------------------+
|                        |
|   POP3 Server          |
|   Internal to email    |
|   service provider     |
+------------------------+
          |
          | POP3 probably with SSL encryption flowing
          | over the whatever networking that the
          | recipient is using
          |
+------------------------+
|                        |
|   Email User Recipient |
|   Receives Message     | *** Original message in clear text ***
|                        |
+------------------------+


Logged
Gornix is protected by the GPL. *

* Gorn Public License. Duplication by inferior sentient species prohibited.

unix

  • Trusted Member
  • Wise Sage
  • ******
  • Posts: 4296
Re: Stuck in a hotel with public wifi
« Reply #16 on: March 05, 2018, 05:58:11 pm »
Thanks for the diagram
Logged
Brawndo. It's got what plants crave.

G0ddard B0lt

  • I absolutely DESPISE improvised sulfur-charcoal-salt peter cannons made out of hollow tree branches filled with diamonds as projectiles.
  • Trusted Member
  • Wise Sage
  • ******
  • Posts: 22672
  • Gorn Classic, user of Gornix
Re: Stuck in a hotel with public wifi
« Reply #17 on: March 05, 2018, 06:21:20 pm »
^ I'm a nartist.  :P
Logged
Gornix is protected by the GPL. *

* Gorn Public License. Duplication by inferior sentient species prohibited.

JoFrance

  • CCF Winner's Circle - Supporter
  • Wise Sage
  • *
  • Posts: 2506
Re: Stuck in a hotel with public wifi
« Reply #18 on: March 07, 2018, 01:16:07 pm »
Neat diagram.  I use web mail.  I didn't think anyone used POP3 anymore.  Its more IMAP.

Its too bad that hotels don't offer secure network access to their guests.  I've known quite a few people that just are not aware that wifi internet access at a hotel is not secure.  Even if they charged extra for VPN access, it would be worth it.  Not everyone has the expertise to set up a VPN or even knows there is such a thing.

When I was at the hotel, I met this couple in the elevator.  These people truly had the worst night.  The woman had to work on Monday and was carrying her desktop computer CPU up to her hotel room.  Her husband had the 24" monitor and whoops, he dropped it.  The glass on the screen was totally cracked really bad.  He said they were going to try to use it anyway.  Yikes!  I'm sure that guy had a very bad night. 

Logged

benali72

  • CCF Winner's Circle - Supporter
  • Wise Sage
  • *
  • Posts: 2731
Re: Stuck in a hotel with public wifi
« Reply #19 on: March 07, 2018, 05:46:20 pm »
I feel bad.... I laughed about that monitor cracking. But really, it is kind of funny in a black humor kind of way.

Thanks for the diagram and the recommendation of ProtonMail.
Logged

JoFrance

  • CCF Winner's Circle - Supporter
  • Wise Sage
  • *
  • Posts: 2506
Re: Stuck in a hotel with public wifi
« Reply #20 on: March 08, 2018, 04:22:50 pm »
I know benali72.  When I saw how bad the monitor looked, I thought to myself no way would I plug that in.  He said, "I'm hoping only the glass is broken".  I told him to ask the hotel to borrow a monitor.  I think they would've helped him out.  His wife said "I have to work" in a very cold way.  Lots of cold anger there.  I think if I said another word she would've punched me out.
Logged

G0ddard B0lt

  • I absolutely DESPISE improvised sulfur-charcoal-salt peter cannons made out of hollow tree branches filled with diamonds as projectiles.
  • Trusted Member
  • Wise Sage
  • ******
  • Posts: 22672
  • Gorn Classic, user of Gornix
Re: Stuck in a hotel with public wifi
« Reply #21 on: March 08, 2018, 05:46:13 pm »
I can relate. When you're in a shitty situation like riding out a snowstorm in early March in a hotel when this kind of thing is supposed to be ending, it wouldn't take much to provoke a gunshot wound. Joking about something even in a well intentioned way could cause someone under stress and already pissed to flip out.
Logged
Gornix is protected by the GPL. *

* Gorn Public License. Duplication by inferior sentient species prohibited.
Pages: 1 [2]   Go Up
« previous next »