Tech Tips for Non-Tech People!
Original Air Date: Jan 29, 2021
Closing Public Folder Exposures
It’s well known these days that using public Wi-Fi can expose you to various security risks, but there’s another lesser-known item that you’ll want to address.
If you use a laptop, it’s possible that every time you connect to public Wi-Fi a part of your computer can be accessed by anyone on the same network.
All of the major operating systems provide an option to use a public folder for sharing items that should be disabled if you don’t use it.
It’s not that others can access the files you in your document folders, but it is possible that they can save a nefarious file to your folder or that you inadvertently saved an important file in the folder.
I’ve run into situations where someone didn’t realize they had files accessible to anyone else in their public folder that someone else may have put there.
Whether you’re using a Mac or Windows laptop, take a minute to close this potential security risk if you haven’t already.
macOS: https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/control-access-to-your-public-folder-on-mac-mchlp1775/mac
Windows 7:
http://www.raymond.cc/blog/how-to-remove-or-disable-shared-documents-from-my-computer
Windows 10: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/50179-turn-off-public-folder-sharing-windows-10-a.html
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