Is it safe to enter your credit card number in an internet cafe?

Lr158

I have to do something but was wondering if its dodgy entering your number in an interne cafe.

Could people or even the ones who run it use it?

Hail 2 Da Chimp

Yes. Completely safe.

If your not sure just PM the number to me and I'll make sure your credit card details haven't be stolen...


<_<

>_>

humanji

Generally I'd say there's no problem. You honestly can't be positive it's safe, but a cafe would hardly compromise itself by scamming people like that and cafe's usually don't allow users to install software (so they would find it hard to install something that could record your details).
And it's the sites that you are giving the information that you'd have to worry about more IMO.

Ruu_Old

You should be okay, as long as the site you are buying from, etc is secure. Have you got a friend that can help you out, to use their machine instead?

Hail 2 Da Chimp

You could always try deleting the internet history, cookies etc... And format the hard drive in the computer.

Sleepy

I'd be reluctant tbh, very easy install a key-stroke logger.

User45701

ive bought from net cafe's its fine

baztard

I'd think its very dodgy. Your purring your details out i the open, its just a case of whether or not there's someone there watching you. Anybody who's anyway good with computers can put a key stroke logger on a machine. The security in internet cafes is only a facade.

ChRoMe

Its a extremely risky thing to do.

To put it in perspective it would be similar to calling out the numbers and your pin code when in a busy shop to the cashier. Yeah most people wouldnt scam you but if there is someone within earshot who has a moral flexability you'd be in trouble.

Personally there is no way I would ever do it.

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

aidan_walsh

The Scientist wrote:

Pfft...^

If you're buying from respectable sites like amazon etc, it is completely safe. most sites use double firewalls and secure servers.
If you are in doubt, do what the chimp said and delete cookies etc

Depending on the software being used in the cafe, it might be poissible for whoever is in charge to see everything thats going on on your screen, so all the HTTPS\firewall\cookie deleting in the world won't stop someone with that being able to take your number if they wanted to.

Reminded me of when I was interrailing during the summer - had a 3V card with me, and so we were booking accommodation a few days ahead of ourselves. I went to enter in the credit card number and double clicked on the box instead, with the end results of several different credit card numbers coming up.

I did as was said on this thread and cleared all cookies and everything else saved. Didn't go as far as formatting the hard drive though

HelterSkelter

A good trick to fool key loggers is to enter the CC number as follows:

assuming your number is 4402 1234 5678 9012

Enter every second number, i.e. 40135791
The arrow back to the start and fill in the gaps with the remaining numbers...

Usually key loggers don't pick up the arrow key so what is recorded on the key logger is 4013579142246802

Bob the Builder

A good trick to fool key loggers is to enter the CC number as follows:

assuming your number is 4402 1234 5678 9012

Enter every second number, i.e. 40135791
The arrow back to the start and fill in the gaps with the remaining numbers...

Usually key loggers don't pick up the arrow key so what is recorded on the key logger is 4013579142246802

Excelent advice... But at the end of the day, for €65, I can buy a memory stick and software that I can plug into the back of my local cyber café computer without anyone noticing, and it will record everything and even take screenshots periodically... I can walk casually into the cyber cafe two days kater and maybe three-four ppl may have entered their crdit card numbers...

There's two local cyber cafe's that come to mind, both of them have computers that are not protected by CCTV, and is a pay-by-use, not by membership service....

ChRoMe

The Scientist wrote:

Pfft...^

If you're buying from respectable sites like amazon etc, it is completely safe. most sites use double firewalls and secure servers.
If you are in doubt, do what the chimp said and delete cookies etc

You clearly dont have a great understanding of computers . The secruity issue isint with the site you are accessing in this case its the fact that you are on a publicly available network and therefore have no way to determine the level of secruity provided by the network administrator.

The staff or other users in the internet cafe would be capable of grabbing the information as it went over the network

humbert

I have to say too that I wouldn't do it. many internet cafés have little protection against people installing software and I'm sure some skillful hacker could get around many of the ones that do. That's assuming the owners of the café were honest. Only time I'd do it is with a 3V card.
Oh and while many keyloggers prob don't pick up arrow keys from a programming perspective it's no more difficult to record an arrow key than any other key so while it's a good idea it's not foolproof.

Oh I don't think it's possible to grab the info after it's left the computer you're on, doesn't the program, IE of firefox, create an encrypted connection?

thebman

humbert wrote:

I have to say too that I wouldn't do it. many internet cafés have little protection against people installing software and I'm sure some skillful hacker could get around many of the ones that do. That's assuming the owners of the café were honest. Only time I'd do it is with a 3V card.
Oh and while many keyloggers prob don't pick up arrow keys from a programming perspective it's no more difficult to record an arrow key than any other key so while it's a good idea it's not foolproof.

Oh I don't think it's possible to grab the info after it's left the computer you're on, doesn't the program, IE of firefox, create an encrypted connection?

I don't understand why you'd arrow back anyway. Use the mouse if your trying to prevent key presses being detected. Sure they could log the mouse aswell but it would be harder to put the picture together from K+M presses than just keyboard presses.

Either that or use the on screen keyboard.

Your not safe though so don't do it. Use anything, even GPRS on your phone to connect and enter your details. You can connect on GPRS to your Pc and use it (get settings from your ISP) even if your pay as you go. Costs a fortune so beware. 2 Euro per 500MB with Meteor anyway,

faceman

Has anyone here ever been stroked as a result of purchasing from an internet cafe?

the_syco

Download Adaware from lavasoft.de

Run it. Clear all the nasties, including 3 trojans, and then some.

Run it again. If there's something there, run it a third time. Still there? Goto a different computer, citing dodgy trojan shít on the 1st PC.

=-=

The Scientist: before it even gets to the site, before it even leaves the room, before the data goes through the NIC... it can be recorded. Most well run cafe's do virus checks daily, or every 3 days, on a scheduled basis. Some, tho, don't. I've gone into safe mode on some of them to get rid of the shít. Me being able to get into Safe Mode isn't good (bypassing their Admin password), but I sometimes can. Then boot back up, and check my money, etc, online.

D

Most internet cafes use a network image every time the machines boot. What I usually do to be safe is to restart the machines which will boot clean from the network image thus removing any keyloggers/BDO that maybe installed. Might sound paranoid but better safe than sorry.

Of course if the staff are dodgy then you are pretty fecked.

frobisher

It is as safe as the owner or manager or worker at that time is honest. Which is to say that it is a risk. If I had to do it I'd go to somewhere like the fancy one on Grafton St near McDonalds.

HelterSkelter

brim4brim wrote:

I don't understand why you'd arrow back anyway. Use the mouse if your trying to prevent key presses being detected. Sure they could log the mouse aswell but it would be harder to put the picture together from K+M presses than just keyboard presses.

Yeah even better idea.

Lump

I wouldn't do it, there could be key loggers and all sorts installed.

John