Last week I shared with you a
sneak peak of version 3.0 of my iPhone application called “What’s My IP?”.
This application has now been approved and is on the iTunes Store. If you have already purchased the application, you may now download it for free as an update. If you have been checking out the application in anticipation of the 3.0 update, I appreciate it.
You can find the new version of “What’s My IP?” on the iTunes App Store at this link, and you can check out the sneak peak by clicking here.
I have submitted a new update for my application What’s My IP? on the iTunes App Store. With this update, the application has been completely revamped to include device information in addition to just the IP Address. Two completely new features let you get the IP address from a hostname online and check the reachability of a website/server by typing in the IP address or hostname.
With this post, I want to give you a sneak peak of the application so you can know what’s to come for the application. Check out the description from the App Store below and the screenshots below that. I anticipate that this application will become live on the App Store next week as I submitted it last weekend. I will post (and tweet) when the application goes live.
Info from the App Store
The iPhone/iPod touch application that was the first on the App Store to provide IP Address checking for your Apple iOS device has swiftly become the tool for network administrators, small business IT departments, and home network users with version 3.0.
Version 3.0 of What’s My IP provides users with important information about their network and accessing device. With a single tap, you can find out your IP Address, Device Name, and Device Type.
New with version 3.0 is the ability to get the IP address of a hostname on the Internet or your local network. Simply tap the Hostname tab to begin. Type in a hostname, click “Get IP Address,” and the address is presented to you quickly and easily. No fussing with other services that can often take extra time to navigate to.
Version 3.0 also comes with a server reachability checker that you can use while on your local wireless network or abroad on either EDGE or 3G. By tapping on the Reachability tab, you can check to see if the server hostname or IP address you type in is available online. If the server is online, you will see ONLINE presented; if the server cannot be reached, OFFLINE will be presented. This check happens almost instantly, keeping you from having to mess with Mobile Safari or other online services.
Now you can see why What’s My IP 3.0 is becoming the swiss army knife of network administrators. This application provides you with the network tools you need at an affordable price.
Don’t let your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad be without one of the best networking tools available for iOS devices.
Something that a lot of people don’t pay much attention to is wireless access points. Many people will connect to any wireless access point and begin checking their email, bank accounts, and go to other online services without giving much thought to their wireless surroundings.
But, here’s the thing … no matter if you’re connected to a 100% trusted wireless network, your information and security could be at risk no matter the operating system you’re using: Windows, Mac, Linux, it doesn’t matter.
The insecurity comes from the way a network operates. Generally, wireless networks work in a logical BUS topology, which means that any data response is sent to all computers on the network, but only the computer the data was addressed to will accept it and other computers will disregard the data.
If you have some specially designed software on your computer, like Wireshark, then you can “sniff” the packets (small chopped up bits of data) being sent and received from other computers on the network you’re connected to. By doing this, you can see in plain sight any data (passwords, bank account numbers, usernames, messages, etc.) that is being sent as plain text. Most websites generally send sensitive account information in this fashion, too. This will work on both wired and wireless connections, mind you.
Take the screenshot below. This is from my home wireless network that I was connected to. It shows where I was attempting to login to a website using my username and password. Notice how both the username and passwords were sent unsecurely as plain text. If anyone was connected to the network and had an application like Wireshark up and running, they could capture those packets and retrieve my username and password all without me ever noticing.
This is something very important to remember when connecting to wireless networks. What you may think of as a secured access point may be the way in which your important information is stolen unsupectingly.
Protecting yourself
There are ways to protect yourself from this method of data theft, however.
Generally, banks and other websites that maintain personal data use SSL security. This means that data sent or received to your computer and the server you’re connected to is encrypted before being sent. If you’ve ever noticed a small lock in your web browser or noticed that the protocol in the address bar changed from “http://” to “https://” then you’re most likely secured via encryption.
What does HTTP or HTTPS mean?
HTTP stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol and it’s the method by which web pages are requested and delivered to your web browser. HTTPS stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure and it’s a secure version of the standard HTTP protocol that allows SSL security certificates and other security layers between you and the server you’re connected to.
In addition to checking to make sure you’re connected to a secure website before typing and submitting personal information, you also have a few other options. You could set up a VPN (virtual private network) on a computer at your home that you could connect through to provide a secure gateway for accessing websites while on-the-go. You could also invest in a 3G/4G wireless card for your notebook computer. This would allow you to have a direct connection to an wireless Internet provider (via a more secure cell tower connection). Plans can be pricey, however, which is why some use a VPN connection.
This is one of the reasons I went for the 3G version of the iPad. I’m trying to free myself from using public Wi-Fi where I am only as secure as the content I access and my computer security is only as safe as the people accessing the network.
The problem with this security issue is that anyone and any network is susceptible to the problems. Even if the network features WEP or WPA security measures. If someone can connect to it and open an application like Wireshark, they can begin gathering sensitive information.
What is WEP and WPA Security?
WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy and is an older, less secure way to encrypt a wireless network. WPA stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access and is a newer and more secure way to encrypt a network. Generally, it is better to stray away from WEP encryption because tools exist that can allow anyone to penetrate the network and gain access to your wireless connection.
I wanted to post this because I see a lot of people who nonchalantly connect to public wireless networks and begin surfing to websites that contain sensitive data about that person. I hope that you were able to understand my concern and the reason that I wanted to let you know about this security issue.
If you have any questions, feel free to post a comment below or email me. Also, if you have a computer topic that you’d like me to talk about, feel free to send me an email and I will see what I can do.
