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If I am on an unsecured wifi connection - thru a cafe that just lets you connect without a password - and I access my bank account and the wee padlock is in the address bar is it safe? If it is password protected is it any diffrent?

I think its technologically safe but prone to shoulder surfing of course and you shouldn't login more than once from any one internet cafe as someone wifi sniffing (or the cafe owner or administrator) could start to piece together your login info. I know you really want our resident security expert's opinion on this but as he hasn't answered yet, you can have my uninformed speculation instead

If the padlock is there then the traffic is encrypted (https) from the website all the way to your laptop and you are safe from traffic sniffers. DO NOT use unsecured cafe wifi to login to your email or a website which uses only a password as this can be seen by ANYONE else on the unsecured wifi connection. 9 times out of 10 email software does not use an encrypted connection. Only enter passwords when using cafe wifi when you KNOW the traffic is encrypted end to end: for web thats HTTPS (padlock in the browser) so make sure if you use a gmail account or your lolux email that you connect with an https://www........ url

thanks, what about using PC's - at that moment I am using the libraries PC ( its free in glasgow btw) but is not https - no padlock?

it should be on a switched network so it is much harder to see your traffic - and other people using the library PCs should not have admin rights on the PCs - much safer

yeah, what grix said I have fix's bank account details if anybody's interested, and his login details in for "Knocked Up and Milky ", whatever that is

how did fix get a login for my mum's blog?

cricky was THAT your mum?