ANTenna Blog -- Security

Inflight Internet Access provider Gogo took some issue with today's earlier post, and it's worth taking a look at the issues the company raises.

Earlier today I took a look at some Netragard buzz about Gogo Inflight Internet Access and the airborne WiFi service's lack of encryption.

Gogo (a service of Aircell) responded to the post:

"To date, Aircell and its carrier partners have not identified any network security vulnerabilities in the Gogo Inflight Internet service that are threats to our customers. Credit card transactions to access Gogo are encrypted and fully secure. Other Internet traffic on the Gogo network is as secure as any public Wi-Fi hotspot in a hotel, airport or coffee house. For users who wish a higher level of information security, Gogo supports virtually all VPN clients. Aircell is committed to our customers' safety and security both in the air and online and will do all we can to ensure our customers' information remains secure and private."

Fair enough, and well-taken. bMighty has talked often enough about the risks of public hotspots, and the advice we've offered stands: be careful (I'd say be wary!) of any public access service, on the ground or at 30,000 feet.

That said, I'd like to see Gogo's customer pages offer a bit more information about the openness of Wifi, but to be fair, I'd like to see the same from all public Wifi services.

The point is wariness, to use that word again -- anyone connecting wirelessly via a public point needs to have solid guards up, and keep them up as long as they're online.

Whether the public access you're using is Gogo or not, if you're on the go, go VPN.