[Jonntylingos]

Hi Guys,

 

I'm new here, recommended by a mate, but I'm used to messagboards from other areas.  I hope this is the correct forum to ask this question.

I'm a secondary teacher of languages.  I have a wireless printer at home, and I'm currently on summer holiday, but working on some stuff to do with kids in my own tutor group.

I want to print out some stuff, but it's really confidential, about trying to sort out a specific and serious problem for one student.  Somebody recently told me that "people" - by which I think they meant the government or even anyone nearby - could intercept the wireless signals from my laptop to my printer upstairs, and thereby read all that I print. Normally it wouldn't bother me, as I only usually print out lesson plans, general letters or academic things, but I wouldn't want that to happen in this case - I would feel that I had let down the kid and his family if it ever got out that I had been the source of a leak about a personal thing.

I know it might be a very small risk, if there is one at all, but better safe than sorry - if you don't ask, you never find things out.

So would someone who knows please be kind enough to tell me if this is true or not, and/or otherwise advise if I need some extra security?

Many thanks,

Jonnty

 

 

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Hello,

I know it might be a very small risk, if there is one at all, but better safe than sorry

If you're concerned about something like that then print with a direct connection.

Thanks
Joe

[zep516]

Hello,

I know it might be a very small risk, if there is one at all, but better safe than sorry

If you're concerned about something like that then print with a direct connection.

Thanks
Joe

[Jonntylingos]

Thanks Joe.  That's surely good advice and I can do it from my PC, which is not wireless, but wireless from my laptop is often so convenient and I don't have to sit upstairs in the spare room!

 

Is all this stuff exaggerated, or is it really possible that people can sit outside and sort of collect info deliberately from printers - or neighbours can accidentally pick up these signals - do you know?

[zep516]

but it's really confidential,

I don't think I'd put anything confidential over a wireless transmission as you said better safe then sorry.

is it really possible that people can sit outside and sort of collect info deliberately from printers

At this day an age and depending on the ability of the person sitting outside anything is possible.

Being that the information you speak of is confidential then you have a responsibility to keep it that way and take any necessary precautions. That would be printing that information over a direct connection.

I don't have any direct evidence or a case that I know of where information from printers was intercepted.

[Jonntylingos]

Thank you Zep.  Coincidentally, there was a piece on Radio 4 in the UK this afternoon which implied that it was relatively easy for people to tap into what was happening as regards what people were watching on TV or iplayer on their wireless systems.

[zep516]

Thank you for that information noted. I'll close the topic now.

[zep516]

Since this issue appears to be resolved ... this Topic has been closed. Glad we could help.

If you're the topic starter, and need this topic reopened, please contact a staff member with the address of the thread.

Everyone else please begin a New Topic.

Thanks
Joe