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Wireless Networking
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Wireless Security
While the freedom of wireless is great indeed, by its nature,
wireless is not very secure. Most likely, your wireless signal will be
able to be heard by neighbors and people who drive by your house. The
default settings of most access points do not have the basic security
features turned on. Here are some of these settings and what you should
change them to so that your wireless network is more secure.
1. Change the SSID
As mentioned on the Access Point page, your access point will be
broadcasting out an ID that gives the name of your wireless network. A
new access point will have this set to a manufacturer default.
Unfortunately, the default SSID's are widely known, and can make it easy
for someone looking for default names to connect to your network. Change
this setting to clearly identify your network from someone else's.
2. Disable SSID Broadcasting
Some access points allow you to disable the broadcasting of the SSID.
Your access point will still send out beacons, but they won't contain
the name of your access point. NOTE: if you disable SSID
broadcasting, Windows XP will not be able to automatically detect your
access point, and you will need to manually configure the settings for
it. You might want to wait until after you can connect to your access
point before disabling SSID broadcasting.
3. Enable Encryption (WEP)
Wireless networking has a basic method of encryption built in that
not only protects your data, but also prevents people who don't know the
encryption keys from connecting to your access point. This setting alone
can be the single setting that can keep unknown users from using your
access point, while also scrambling your data while it goes over the
air, preventing any unsecure data from being intercepted.
4. MAC Address Filtering
Many access points offer this kind of filter to control access. With
this filter, you enter the MAC address, or hardware address, of your
wireless adapter(s), and only those devices will be able to connect to
the access point. This option may not be completely foolproof (there are
ways to clone MAC addresses), but should be plenty to keep a casual user
from being able to use your wireless network. MAC filtering does not
provide encryption, so any unsecured data will be visible to those who
might be listening for it.
5. Firmware Updates
Changes in wireless are always coming around, including fixing security
problems and adding additional levels of security. Make sure your access
point is running recent firmware, which most manufacturers offer as a
download from their sites.
Next: Community Wireless Networks
