Wait Till One Gets Home

Now that Apple phones, tablets, and computers have become widespread, Apple's security features have attracted greater scrutiny from experts and hackers alike. The company's reputation for superior security may have been over-hyped:

A major flaw in Apple Inc software for mobile devices could allow hackers to intercept email and other communications that are meant to be encrypted, the company said on Friday, and experts said Mac computers were even more exposed.

If attackers have access to a mobile user's network, such as by sharing the same unsecured wireless service offered by a restaurant, they could see or alter exchanges between the user and protected sites such as Gmail and Facebook. Governments with access to telecom carrier data could do the same.

"It's as bad as you could imagine, that's all I can say," said Johns Hopkins University cryptography professor Matthew Green.

I do not make purchases or conduct online banking when connected to a public network. It's more prudent to switch to the device's data plan (mine are AT&T and Verizon) or, better yet, wait till one gets home.