Anywhere Computing with Laptops: Making Mobile Easier

File Sharing

We tell our children that sharing is good, but when it comes to computers, running with sharing turned on can pose a security risk.

If you are connecting to a Wi-Fi network with your Centrino laptop—or any network—and sharing is turned on, anyone else on the network can read your files across the network. For that matter, your files can be altered or deleted across the network, as well.

If your folders are private, your files cannot be shared. This might not always be very convenient when you are at home—particularly, as in my case, if you sometimes work collaboratively with a spouse—but it certainly improves security when you connect to a network on the road. In particular, if you are using a public hotspot with your Centrino laptop, ...