PC Magazine: How to Use Public Computers Safely

When you use a public computer, you should clean up traces of your activity before leaving. You don't want the next user to recover your email conversations or passwords.

By Neil J. Rubenking
February 21, 2012

On your own personal computer, you're free to install whatever security software you feel necessary. You'll surely want a firewall to block hack attacks and an antivirus app to keep out malware. You may add a spam filter to protect your Inbox, or a security suite that wraps comprehensive protection in handy package. Your computer isn't accessible to random passers-by, so you may not be so worried about activity traces like browsing history.

Using a public computer at an Internet cafe, library, school, or even a friend's house is quite a different situation. First, you have no guaranteed that the computer is protected; it might be riddled with viruses or afflicted with a keylogger. Second, unless you're careful the next user might learn a lot more than you'd like about your online session.

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