Security on Municipal WiFi Service

[kaneohe]

I'm not sure how all this security stuff works......
if you are on a https page and padlock shows (actually I don't see it on the MacBook.....where should it be?), isn't the info on that page encrpyted...from the moment it leaves your computer?
I have read that you don't want to do sensitive stuff at airports, internet cafes, and other public venues. Is there any reason to believe that using the Municipal WiFi service provided by the City from your home is any more or less secure than the other public places?

[harley]

No reason to believe it's any more secure. However, if you are actually in an SSL (https) session you are as secure as you're going to get. The only real way to hack that would be if someone was doing a man in the middle attack and pretending to be your bank (or whatever). Even then there would be a certificate mismatch. But I still agree with your second paragraph, don't do anything important on a public network if you can avoid it.