Wireless Network Security and the dangers

Wireless Network Security and the dangers
For those who are thinking their wireless network is already secure and this info is no use to them, please read. Author: GKD
I have tried to explain this so it is easy to understand and does not have any difficult technical wording. For those who are thinking their wireless network is already secure and this info is no use to them, please read and you will be surprised to know how secure your wireless network really is. Since the year 2001, wireless networking has become very popular. Nearly every home has a wireless network or is in the process of setting one up. But what’s the main risk with wireless networks, it is SECURITY. There have been thousands of lectures, tutorials and media coverage about the importance of securing a wireless network but it seems that this has had no affect on wireless network users. People do not realise that leaving a wireless network unsecure can be an open door for neighbours but even worse for mobile attackers searching for wireless networks so they can get their hands on YOUR personal information. Thousands of people are setting up wireless networks at home everyday so they can benefit from the convenience that Wireless networks can bring, including; shopping online and chatting to friends/family whilst moving around the house and/or sitting in the garden. But what about SECURITY, why don’t people bother to protect their wireless networks and use their credit card online when they are aware that their wireless network may not be secure. Reasons why people do not secure their wireless networks include: 1) Do not know how to 2) Do not know the risks behind not protecting a wireless network 3) Some are so excited that all they want is to be able to access the Internet wirelessly as soon as possible 4) Some attempt securing their wireless network but then give up 5) Laziness Threats include: Neighbours – Most people class Neighbours as a low threat as most of them access a network for Internet access only. But these low risks can become high risks. What if your download limit is 2GB a month and your next door neighbour is using your Internet connection to download movies. Who pays the extra charges after the 2GB limit has been reached, YOU do? What if your neighbour is a credit card fraudster? What if…….??? Mobile Hackers – Mobile hackers travel around looking for unsecure wireless networks for internet access and for access to your personal information including accounts and credit card details. Example: Joe Bloggs has a stolen credit card with a limit of £5,000 pounds. He travels around and finds your unsecured wireless network. He connects to your network and shops online and then uses the stolen credit card to purchase his goods. He disconnects from your network and drives off. The police investigate and track down which IP address the transaction was processed from. You can probably guess who the police will be visiting for questioning. Securing your wireless network You may have heard of or seen the word WEP whilst setting up your wireless network. WEP stands for Wired Equivalency Privacy and is a security protocol for Wireless networks. All wireless routers have WEP turned off by default but it can easily be enabled. However, WEP is not fully secure and a hacker can easily by pass this with hacking software. This gets worrying, until this point most of you probably thought your wireless networks were secure with WEP enabled. This is another worrying thing that a large percentage of people using wireless networks think they are secure with WEP enabled. Another secure protocol is WAP which stands for WiFi Protected Access. This protocol is a fairly new standard for wireless networks but is more secure than WEP, so it is always best to enable WAP rather then WEP. Now to secure your wireless network further, I recommend you disable SSID broadcast which can be found on the configuration page of your router. By disabling SSID broadcast your wireless network name will be invisible and give your wireless network additional security. Finally, to protect your wireless network connection further, I recommend you use MAC filtering on your router. Each PC or laptop has its own unique MAC address/physical address. The MAC number also known as Physical address can be found by: 1) Clicking the start button 2) Clicking run 3) Typing cmd and then clicking ok 4) Typing ipconfig /all and pressing enter Once you have your MAC/Physical address for your machine or machines, type these into the filtering area of your wireless router or access point and save settings. Once setup, only the MAC/physical address listed in the router will be able to access the wireless network If you are unsure about how to secure your wireless network, I would recommend you spend what ever it costs to get someone to secure it for you. It’s worth paying a small amount to get your wireless network secured rather then getting your personal data stolen and possibly losing thousands of pounds. I could probably go on about wireless network security but I think the above is enough to get you thinking. Thank you Written for UK Webmaster Forum as part of an articles competition sponsored by Webmaster Tools
About the Submitter: GKD is an I.T Support Engineer and a Microsoft Certified Professional in Windows XP, and is working towards acheiving a MCSE. GKD enjoys sharing his I.T knowledge with others by providing free support at his I.T Support Forum
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