How to Protect Your Privacy on a Public Computer

Whether you’re logging on at a hotel business center, a local library, or an internet cafe, using a shared computer introduces unique security risks. Because you don’t control the hardware or the network, you have no way of knowing if the machine is infected with malware or keyloggers designed to steal your data. When circumstances force you to log on publicly, practicing strict digital hygiene is your best line of defense.

Here are some tips from the experts:

• Never browse sensitive sites. Avoid checking bank accounts, entering credit card numbers, or accessing medical portals. Save high-value accounts for your trusted personal devices.
• Use Incognito or Private mode. Always open a private browsing window. This ensures your browsing history, temporary internet files, and cookies are automatically deleted when you close the session.
• Uncheck “Remember me” boxes. Disable any autofill prompts. When entering a username, make sure the browser is not permitted to save your login credentials or passwords.
• Manually log out. Simply closing the browser tab does not terminate your session. Explicitly click “Log out” or “Sign off” on every website you visit before walking away.
• Clear browsing data manually. Before shutting down, go into the browser settings and clear the cache, download history, and cookies just in case the private session fails to wipe clean.
• Avoid USB drives. Don’t plug personal flash drives into a public machine to print or save documents. Malicious software on the computer can silently infect your drive and travel home with you.
• Watch for shoulder surfers. Be aware of your physical surroundings. Position yourself so bystanders cannot easily glance over your shoulder to record your screen or watch you type a password.

Visit our Fraud & Theft Protection page and subscribe to the Money Mill Blog for more information and best practices to keep your data and money safe.