2008 Woodie Awards
Unsecured wireless networks pose problems
Melinda Christensen
Issue date: 10/24/07 Section: News
•Use the strongest form of encryption you can. If you encrypt your traffic, someone using a sniffer will not be able to read it. There are three types of encryption available, depending on your router: 1) WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), 2) WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access), and 3) WPA2. Use WPA2 if possible, otherwise use WPA. Avoid using WEP, because it is weak and easily cracked. If you have older equipment that only supports WEP, check to see if your router manufacturer offers a firmware upgrade that will enable it to support WPA. If none is available, you should strongly consider upgrading to a newer router. Using WEP is still better than doing nothing.
•Use MAC (media access control) address filtering if you want even tighter security. This will allow you to specify exactly which computers are allowed to connect to your router.
•Turn off your wireless network when you are not going to use it for a long time.
Performing the above steps may take some extra time, but they are well worth it. Securing your wireless router will protect you from 99.9% of the threats I mentioned earlier. If you don't know how to make these changes, consult your router's user guide or ask a tech savvy friend or relative to help. Whatever you do, please take the time to secure your wireless network. It's easier than you might think and the threats of not doing it are too great to ignore.
•Use MAC (media access control) address filtering if you want even tighter security. This will allow you to specify exactly which computers are allowed to connect to your router.
•Turn off your wireless network when you are not going to use it for a long time.
Performing the above steps may take some extra time, but they are well worth it. Securing your wireless router will protect you from 99.9% of the threats I mentioned earlier. If you don't know how to make these changes, consult your router's user guide or ask a tech savvy friend or relative to help. Whatever you do, please take the time to secure your wireless network. It's easier than you might think and the threats of not doing it are too great to ignore.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
JOHN BLISSETT
posted 1/14/08 @ 1:14 PM MST
Hi
I have an unsecured wireless connection.Can it be made secure?
John Blissett
Cartus Negru Echivalent
posted 12/23/08 @ 8:31 AM MST
All wireless routers should be configured to allow a minimal number of people connecting to them. Also there should be a password required for someone trying to connect. (Continued…)
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