Most of us know that it’s generally good practice to connect to a WiFi hotspot via a VPN so that those baddies can’t packet sniff. However, unless you’re willing to pony up some cash ($40+ per year), or your company provides you with one, it can be a bit tricky.
But Macworld points out that there’s a free VPN option out there that I was previously unaware of:
AnchorFree’s Hotspot Shield—is free. After downloading and installing the software, you simply choose Connect from the Hotspot Shield menu and wait a few seconds for a connection message to appear in Safari. Thereafter, all your wireless traffic will be encrypted.
I just tried it out, and it works as advertised — the only thing is that each time you open up a new browser window, it create a new little bar, not unlike a banner ad, reminding you that you’re using Hotspot Shield. If only there was a GreaseMonkey script that would remove that, Still, that’s a small price to pay for a VPN, hrm?
I don't really mind the ads since the service is free.
The download no longer seems to work...
but how do you know that hotspot shield is any safer than the hotspot you're using? If all of my traffic is going through their vpn server how do I know that they aren't stealing my passwords and cc info?
Sure they are free, but that also means that I have no relationship with them and they have no contractual obligation with me.
Your Greasemonkey wishes have been granted (though I haven't tested it).
http://userscripts.org/scripts/review/11070?format=txt