Wireless Security
As the number of wireless routers and access points in homes and small offices rises, seemingly exponentially, wireless crackers and wardrivers are exploiting the endless supply of unsecured wireless access to obtain free internet access, and gain anonymity in their exploits. In most cases, users don’t even bother changing the default access username and password, allowing any attacker to connect to their network and change the wireless settings. Even less common is the use of encryption. Encrypted wireless access would prevent users who do not know the encryption key connecting and making use of the wireless access.
Even those who do use encryption tend to use the less secure WEP encryption, instead of the more secure WPA encryption.
This article, really, can be taken in two ways. If you’re looking to do something you shouldn’t, or simply want to see if there are any networks in your local area that you can gain access to, not that I would condone any such activity, then those unsecured, default password networks, or the WEP networks, are for you.
If you run a wireless network, have wireless access in your home, setting one up for a client or are considering it, then the message you should be taking away from this is that you should use WPA as your encryption protocol and make sure you change all the defaults. This should make your (or your clients) network less attractive to attackers, who could spend a lot less time breaking into your next-door neighbour’s network, which is unprotected, instead.
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Ways to secure your wifi network…
1) Change the SSID from “Belkin” or “LinkSys”
2) Use a WEP Key with 128-Bit Encrption, but change it on a weekly basis because anyone with a laptop running Linux can run a program called Aircrack and hack the WEP Key in a few minutes.
3) Change your workgroup name from MSHOME or WORKGROUP. Just go to any public hotspot, change your network name to those and if anyone has a shared folder or drive, you can map it. Use something like a754623zxc for your network name on all of your PCs.
4) When you don’t need the wireless, turn it off. Leave the router on, but login to it and disable the SSID Boradcast/wifi access part of it.
5) Use MAC Address filtering o nthe router for all connected PCs.
6) If the router supports it, use Port Knocking.
7) Disable all unneeded ports and services on all PCs and in the router.
8) Change the password on your router. LinkSys uses admin and admin for the username and password. Comcast it’s comcast and 1234. Don’t leave those alone. Change the password to something like 42g43xtgb7
I know that looks archiac but it rhymes if you read it right.
42g43xtgb7
42g 43 xt gb 7
The Rhyming helps you remember it.
I know many people “piggyback” on other people’s connections because those people have unsecured neteworks, but here’s the bad part of it if you are the one they are piggybacking on…
A) They are using your bandwidth that YOU are paying for.
B) If they are on a laptop nearby and they download kiddie porn, warez, etc, the police will look for YOU, not them.
C) If they have the same network name as you such as MSHOME or WORKGROUP, they can do some damage to your system(s).