Open LAN

[Metspitzer]

I was at Emory Hospital with my laptop. When I tried to log on to
their public network FireFox gave these two errors. (Taken with a
cellphone)
http://imgur.com/DrHEe2H,X5zKxGJ#0

Should their network be giving these warnings if it is "un
compromised"?

I went ahead and OK ed FF to use it. I never tried to check my email
or anything that required me to furnish a Username/Password.

What about a cellphone using this network? Wouldn't a cellphone
automatically furnish UN/PW to check emails?

 

[Andy Burns]

I was at Emory Hospital with my laptop. When I tried to log on to
their public network FireFox gave these two errors. (Taken with a
cellphone)
http://imgur.com/DrHEe2H,X5zKxGJ#0

It would help to see the technical details dialogue

Should their network be giving these warnings if it is "un
compromised"?

Most likely is they are using a MITM proxy so they can inspect and
blocklist even https:// sites.

 

[John Williamson]

I was at Emory Hospital with my laptop. When I tried to log on to
their public network FireFox gave these two errors. (Taken with a
cellphone)
http://imgur.com/DrHEe2H,X5zKxGJ#0

Should their network be giving these warnings if it is "un
compromised"?

For the first error, It's a wireless network with no encryption. It may
or may not be "compromised"

Because packets travellng on the network are unencrypted, any other user
on the network or using the same radio channel can, in theory, read
anything you put on it.

The second error is caused by a problem with authentication on a
website, which FF thinks may have been hacked, as while the certificate
is valid, it doesn't match the page you are loading.

One reason I never use anyone else's WiFi network for anything confidential.

I went ahead and OK ed FF to use it. I never tried to check my email
or anything that required me to furnish a Username/Password.

What about a cellphone using this network? Wouldn't a cellphone
automatically furnish UN/PW to check emails?

Yes, which is as good a reason as any to use a mailserver with a secure
login, so that your username and password are encrypted before they
leave your machine. For a cellphone, the security used for the 3G
connection, while not perfect, is reasonable. Some mailservers require
an encrypted login, and are reasonably safe to access over an insecure
network, others don't and aren't.

 

[Andy Burns]

For the first error, It's a wireless network with no encryption. It may
or may not be "compromised"

Not really correct ... Firefox doesn't know/care if the network it is
using is encrypted, it only cares if the SSL certificates it sees appear
valid for the webservers it's connecting to ...