buying a secure phone

Why not buy a cheap notebook to take with you and use it for internet banking? Probably cheaper than what you were thinking of doing, even if it does work.

I'd like to travel light.

I get by fine with a 3g or GPRS-able GSM phone like my Nokia N73 in most countries including SE Asia - where there is a 3G or GPRS signal I can get web access and pick up email. I know that works in Vietnam but if Telephoto says there's no 3G then it must have been GPRS - the phone automatically picks up the best available..

For banking , if I don't wish to take my laptop, I can use internet cafes - it's a "secure" https site and whatever the risks it's still about 100 times more secure than everyday credit/debit card use in stores or over the phone.

I find my North American colleagues get fed a lot of confusing advice and sometimes downright misinformation when they approach their local dealers and suppliers about travelling to GSM countries. I think because there's a disconnect between the way US mobile phone systems and price plans work, and other countries. Because of that, you're probably just better to get a good phone and then get a local SIM when you get there.

When using internet cafes for netbanking, I don't just type in my username and password.

I open up a file in front of me and cut and paste the individual letters and numbers into the username/password fields.

This defeats any keyloggers which someone may have installed.

One way to make your Vietnam internet café use somewhat more secure is to carry a USB memory stick with Portable Firefox and Portable Thunderbird on it. Copy over your user files if you're a Firefox user at home, or if not, store your sensitive account logins on Portable Firefox so you don't have to type them in, and only use that for web access in the cafés.

That way, no keylogger should be able to get at your account, and there will be nothing stored in the cache of the café's browser after you leave.

If you use a pop3 or imap mail server, you can store the account details in Portable Thunderbird (and all your saved mail if you use Thunderbird at home), and using it feels just like you're at home except slower. If you have your Firefox user files, you'll also have all your bookmarks, which is very convenient.

See Portable Apps.com or this site if you have a Mac. They're open source and free.

billp -- This sounds great! I will follow up on your suggestions. Thanks.

Oh yes, you should also set the internet explorer security options to "DO NOT SAVE ENCRYPTED PAGES TO DISK". Also set it to empty the temp internet files on exit.

Just buy a phone when you get to VN. Plenty of good reliable second hand phones that you can use for web browsing or text messaging people back home. GPRS is what's used in VN for the web.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>When using internet cafes for netbanking, I don't just type in my username and password.

I open up a file in front of me and cut and paste the individual letters and numbers into the username/password fields.

This defeats any keyloggers which someone may have installed.<hr></blockquote>
You are not giving people good advice. I just googled up several keylogger programs' web sites, and they all advertised that they intercepted clipboard operations (copy and paste).

If you are using someone else's computer you can never trust it. There is really no way around this.

Right then, let's hear from all the thousands of backpackers who've had their bank accounts hacked into after logging on at an internet cafe?
Hello? Anyone?
Silence is deafening here