Internet security on cruise ship

[Kmcspoon]

I have a question about internet security online a cruise ship.

 

We usually need to check our emails while on board a ship, but have avoided doing any banking or checking in at other financial institutions.

 

However, we will be gone a month on a B2B, and my DH would like to be able to pay a bill or perhaps even trade stocks.

 

Do any of you know how secure the network is? I know we don't ever use internet cafes or hotels for anything too important, but I really do not know enough about travel security on the internet on a cruise ship.

 

We have the VOOM with streaming, so thanks in advance to anyone that can advise or caution us.

 

Kathleen

[WinksCruises]

Do you have access to a VPN service? That would offer some security. Not sure how well VPNs work on cruise ships, though; but perhaps with VOOM, the signals strong enough to maintain a stable secure connection. You might want to do some Googling and see if it's an option.

[Ashland]

Thanks for asking this OP...I'd like to know the answer to this too. We're in the same "boat" ;)

[SPacificbound]

Is he bringing a laptop? If so just make sure it has strong security on it.

 

We travel for long periods and I have banking and personal business to tend to along the way.

 

On my laptop I have a combination of Avast Premier, plus separate anti-malware and anti-spyware. I go into Avast tools and use Safezone. I've never had a problem.

[Clarea]

I have a question about internet security online a cruise ship.

 

We usually need to check our emails while on board a ship, but have avoided doing any banking or checking in at other financial institutions.

 

However, we will be gone a month on a B2B, and my DH would like to be able to pay a bill or perhaps even trade stocks.

 

Do any of you know how secure the network is? I know we don't ever use internet cafes or hotels for anything too important, but I really do not know enough about travel security on the internet on a cruise ship.

 

We have the VOOM with streaming, so thanks in advance to anyone that can advise or caution us.

 

Kathleen

As long as your bank is using an SSL connection between your browser and their website, you have end to end encryption, so it does not matter that Royal's WiFi is not encrypted.

[Langley Cruisers]

Our online banking lets us set up a bill payment for any date we want to; this way, we can set it up weeks ahead of time so it is never late. We can also do recurring payments, once a month on a set date. Perhaps yours lets you do the same.

 

Having said that, we do not do online banking on any other computer but our own home PC. Never. Not even on our phones. It just makes us feel better.

[Brewster]

I have a question about internet security online a cruise ship.

 

We usually need to check our emails while on board a ship, but have avoided doing any banking or checking in at other financial institutions.

 

However, we will be gone a month on a B2B, and my DH would like to be able to pay a bill or perhaps even trade stocks.

 

Do any of you know how secure the network is? I know we don't ever use internet cafes or hotels for anything too important, but I really do not know enough about travel security on the internet on a cruise ship.

 

We have the VOOM with streaming, so thanks in advance to anyone that can advise or caution us.

 

Kathleen

 

Personally, I would treat it the same as hotel wifi network if you are not using a VPN. However, that is just my opinion. I would contact your financial institution via their 800# or by email and make the inquiry on whether or not their site is safe to contact them on a public cruise ship network.

[Kmcspoon]

Thank you for all the helpful replies. We do have our bank set up to pay bills while we are gone, but we would like the flexibility to monitor the accounts while traveling.

 

I see the value of a VPN, but the initial research makes my head spin on which to chose.

 

If anyone has a VPN that they love, please let me know!

[blackshirt]

As long as your bank is using an SSL connection between your browser and their website, you have end to end encryption, so it does not matter that Royal's WiFi is not encrypted.

Not sure why everyone is ignoring this answer but it is the right one. A vpn will only help you if you don't have a secure connection between browser/app to server/application and that is only if the vpn has a direct connection to the target server. If the target server is only reachable via the public internet, any non-encrypted communication will still be exposed somewhere along the path.

[Kmcspoon]

Not sure why everyone is ignoring this answer but it is the right one. A vpn will only help you if you don't have a secure connection between browser/app to server/application and that is only if the vpn has a direct connection to the target server. If the target server is only reachable via the public internet, any non-encrypted communication will still be exposed somewhere along the path.

 

I didn't mean to ignore Clarea's very good answer. I just started researching VPN's after reading the replies and it seems it has great value for internet usage as well.

 

I'm on a learning curve that may not even curve at all!:rolleyes:

[Clarea]

Not sure why everyone is ignoring this answer but it is the right one. A vpn will only help you if you don't have a secure connection between browser/app to server/application and that is only if the vpn has a direct connection to the target server. If the target server is only reachable via the public internet, any non-encrypted communication will still be exposed somewhere along the path.

Plus, a VPN is only usable if the target organization supports it. One cannot unilaterally impose a VPN on some business.

[SPacificbound]

Thank you for all the helpful replies. We do have our bank set up to pay bills while we are gone, but we would like the flexibility to monitor the accounts while traveling.

 

I see the value of a VPN, but the initial research makes my head spin on which to chose.

 

If anyone has a VPN that they love, please let me know!

 

See link info:

 

https://www.avast.com/en-us/secureline-vpn#pc

[ewenix]

As long as your bank is using an SSL connection between your browser and their website, you have end to end encryption, so it does not matter that Royal's WiFi is not encrypted.

 

Good answer! The only thing I would add to this is that I would not recommend using the ship provided machines for things like banking since there could be a keylogger installed on it. As long as the website has a valid SSL certificate and your laptop is up to date with security patches the risks are relatively low.

 

(Note that I'd recommend further precautions if you're using the laptop on land while in port.)

[Cigar King]

The cruise ship is much like any widely available internet service. I do not trust them for anything of a sensitive nature.

 

I would keep away from the public machines, and instead rely on your own.

 

Make sure you are connecting to the proper SSID.

 

On the VPN issue, if you do have access to a VPN, it can't hurt to use it. Especially if you are using something other than HTTPS. My guess is most people do not have access to one though so it probably doesn't matter.

[Clarea]

Good answer! The only thing I would add to this is that I would not recommend using the ship provided machines for things like banking since there could be a keylogger installed on it. As long as the website has a valid SSL certificate and your laptop is up to date with security patches the risks are relatively low.

 

(Note that I'd recommend further precautions if you're using the laptop on land while in port.)

Excellent point about the possibility of a keylogger when using someone else's machines. Especially those machines that are at internet cafes at ports.

Edited April 28, 2016 by clarea

[Kmcspoon]

Excellent point about the possibility of a keylogger when using someone else's machines. Especially those machines that are at internet cafes at ports.

 

Also beware of ATM skimmers. We watched a program recently about pickpockets in various European cities, and it was mentioned that very sophisticated machines can be installed in ATM machines, especially near high traffic tourist areas. It would be hard to tell by looking at the ATM that one was installed! What a shame!

 

Crime can happen anywhere, obviously, so I'm trying to be more aware.

 

Thanks for the replies. This has been very helpful.

[TubbyMrT]

Before typing confidential data such as a charge card or password, simply make certain that you are using YOUR computer and that the web site to which you are connecting is encrypting the stuff you send over the internet.

 

This is indicated by a web address that beings with https:// where the "s" means that it is using secure sockets layer (SSL) to communicate.

 

Often a padlock icon will appear near the web address in the browser to indicate that SSL is being used.

 

Some browsers will display the internet address in a green color and/or show a different icon if the certificate of the SSL has been physically verified by a person to belong to an actual company. This is considered by some to be a higher level of security. You will typically see this green address when communicating with banks.

 

SSL Encrypted traffic can not be viewed by anyone who happens to be snooping or listening in on the wire, perhaps a Voom employee at headquarters.

 

Using YOUR computer helps ensure that the computer has not been compromised by any malicious software that may spy on what you are doing. Such as recording the keystrokes of your password.

 

Before I enter a charge card number on the web, I always check to make certain that the page is using https:// If not, I don't do it.

 

Simply stated, look for the https and padlock to indicate that SSL is being used. Its not 100% safe, but it is the best the browsers have to offer today.

 

Also, when traveling, consider disabling auto-connection to all of the "automatically connected" WiFi addresses (SSID) you use at home. Only activate the WiFi of the cruise ship. Why? Because your computer is constantly crying out for your home network and other automatically connected WiFi sites. Your computer broadcasts "Home, Are you there?" "Home, Are you there?" All a criminal has to do is set up his computer to reply "Yes, I'm here" and your computer will try to connect to their computer. One of the first things your computer will do once connected is attempt to synchronize mail and Facebook, etc. To do this, it sends your user name and password over internet. Bad stuff can happen on a "man in the middle" attack where the bad guy watches all of your internet traffic. We have little control what mail or Facebook apps do or how they connect to the server. We can only hope that it is encrypted. But, if you use the web and you use https://, the man in the middle will see nothing but garbage as the traffic is encrypted.

 

Good luck. Use caution. In general, try to avoid using web to contact bank, charge card, etc while traveling.

Edited April 28, 2016 by TubbyMrT

[Cigar King]

Some browsers will display the internet address in a green color and/or show a different icon if the certificate of the SSL has been physically verified by a person to belong to an actual company. This is considered by some to be a higher level of security. You will typically see this green address when communicating with banks.

 

This typically means the site you are connecting to has a Extended Validation certificate.

 

Also, when traveling, consider disabling auto-connection to all of the "automatically connected" WiFi addresses (SSID) you use at home. Only activate the WiFi of the cruise ship. Why? Because your computer is constantly crying out for your home network and other automatically connected WiFi sites. Your computer broadcasts "Home, Are you there?" "Home, Are you there?" All a criminal has to do is set up his computer to reply "Yes, I'm here" and your computer will try to connect to their computer. One of the first things your computer will do once connected is attempt to synchronize mail and Facebook, etc. To do this, it sends your user name and password over internet. Bad stuff can happen on a "man in the middle" attack where the bad guy watches all of your internet traffic. We have little control what mail or Facebook apps do or how they connect to the server. We can only hope that it is encrypted. But, if you use the web and you use https://, the man in the middle will see nothing but garbage as the traffic is encrypted.

 

 

This is just not true. You will scan for available access points. If one is known to you and you have it set to connect automatically, you will connect. You do not broadcast a list of the SSIDs you are looking for.

[Ashland]

As long as your bank is using an SSL connection between your browser and their website, you have end to end encryption, so it does not matter that Royal's WiFi is not encrypted.

 

This is the info I have received from my bank...So I'll use my own laptop...and the VOOM onboard....I'm never one to use my laptop at an internet cafe and actually never take it in port with us.

 

Thanks so much.

[Clarea]

This is the info I have received from my bank...So I'll use my own laptop...and the VOOM onboard....I'm never one to use my laptop at an internet cafe and actually never take it in port with us.

 

Thanks so much.

You're welcome.:)

[blackshirt]

I would keep away from the public machines, and instead rely on your own.

 

Not only is it a good idea to use your own device, a mobile device with mobile apps from the bank or other service you connect to is also a good idea. I use an ipad and the mobile app from my bank was specifically built to be secure.

[William234]

Do you have access to a VPN service? That would offer some security. Not sure how well VPNs work on cruise ships, though; but perhaps with VOOM, the signals strong enough to maintain a stable secure connection. You might want to do some Googling and see if it's an option.

 

We were on the Freedom of the Seas back in September. They did not have VOOM at the time. My SSL VPN failed to connect due to SSL key exchange timeouts. Similar problems were seen with SSL based web sites.

 

On Carnival Dream, when they still charged by the minute I was able to use Cisco AnyConnect without issue. I did not try that on freedom.

 

Internet security on a cruise ship will be the same as using a public access point at a hotel or coffee shop. If your computer is secure, and you use a VPN or SSL encrypted web traffic you'll be fine. If your computer is insecure and you don't use a VPN, you'll run the risk of eavesdropping, and virus attacks.

[Clarea]

We were on the Freedom of the Seas back in September. They did not have VOOM at the time. My SSL VPN failed to connect due to SSL key exchange timeouts. Similar problems were seen with SSL based web sites...

Timeouts have also been my problem with the Microsoft PPTP VPN. I'll have to try Cisco at some point.

Edited April 28, 2016 by clarea

[William234]

Timeouts have also been my problem with the Microsoft PPTP VPN. I'll have to try Cisco at some point.

 

At my home I have a VPN server running on a Linux based Raspberry Pi. I initially set it up with PPTP but found that PPTP doesn't necessarily negotiate through all NAT implementations. The NAT implementation must support the CallID field. I don't know what NAT implementation the cruise ships use.

 

I switched the the SSL based OpenVPN which can be configured to use any port. To get around firewall blocks and NAT issues, many people will set it to either port 80 or 443.

 

I have not tried any of the IKEV1, IKEV2, or L2TP.

 

I am not sure which system Cisco AnyConnect uses.

[Clarea]

At my home I have a VPN server running on a Linux based Raspberry Pi. I initially set it up with PPTP but found that PPTP doesn't necessarily negotiate through all NAT implementations. The NAT implementation must support the CallID field. I don't know what NAT implementation the cruise ships use.

 

I switched the the SSL based OpenVPN which can be configured to use any port. To get around firewall blocks and NAT issues, many people will set it to either port 80 or 443.

 

I have not tried any of the IKEV1, IKEV2, or L2TP.

 

I am not sure which system Cisco AnyConnect uses.

Thank-you, I really appreciate this info.