26 replies to this topic

[lynnlchan]

So are there any dangers if your network is secured?

[shadragon]

So are there any dangers if your network is secured?

A common misconception with "security" is that is denies access to your information. In reality, security delays access only. If someone truly wants to get in, they will. There are tools on the Internet to breach WAP and wireless security in a few minutes. Signal encryption and strong passwords help, but few people use them effectively.

My father is a former policeman and one of his favourite sayings is "A locked door will only keep out an honest man." so minimize your losses in case of a breach.

- Do not have your Credit Card number, social security number, bank account info or any personal info on your PC or email.

- When not using your wireless or Internet connection, TURN IT OFF... A simple thing, but 100% effective at keeping people out. I told a friend this and he shut off his wireless router. He was amazed when a neighbour called him complaining because he wanted to send an email and could not.

- Do not use the same password for your on-line banking as you do for your email. Indeed, you should maintain seperate passwords for all your online accounts where possible. A royal PITA, but having one password for everything makes it easy for the crooks too.

- Change your wireless access password no less than every three months. Try to use an access password that is greater than 8 characters long, a combo of upper and lower case characters, and at least one special character (#,^,&...etc.). Use word combos that do not exist in a dictionary. SuperB4d!! as an example is really hard to crack.

- If you write passwords down in a journal, notebook, or post-it note on your computer desk add a null character somewhere. If your password is "SuperB4d!!" write it down as "SuperrB4d!!" You know not to use the extra r character, but someone who sees it does not.

Even following the above does not guarentee your safety online. If you can get to the Internet, the Internet can get to you. Firewalls, Anti-virus and Anti-Spyware programs are freely available, some at no cost, on the Internet. Use them and you lower your chances of being taken advantage of dramatically.

My father said crooks will walk down a street and rattle the doorknobs. When they find one with an open door or a weak lock they break in. If they find strong locks they move on. It is the same with computer security.

[drbill]

And here I thought you were talking about a router for woodworking! I'm an "antenna landlord" (have one of my ISP's antennas on my deck) so I get a discounted rate.

[uwfan]

Thanks Simon for all those great tips! I visited my sister this past summer on the way to the Bali/Wakatobi trip. It was a hoot to me that my niece, a fifth grader, wouldn't tell me the password for their router/wifi network because my sister told her not to give out the password. My sister later explained to her that I was "okay" to have the password ... I was quite proud of my niece for doing what my sister had told her to do...even if she hadn't quite understood the "spirit of the law" as it were for the rule!

[uwfan]

Okay...name that router! I'm trying to come up with a name for my network...my neighbors seem to think "The Dude" and "Stucco Chateau" work nicely! LOL! I'm all ears for any suggestions that my SD friends create.

[lynnlchan]

I'm going with the obvious - UWFAN.

[UP Diver]

Okay...name that router! I'm trying to come up with a name for my network...my neighbors seem to think "The Dude" and "Stucco Chateau" work nicely! LOL! I'm all ears for any suggestions that my SD friends create.

Well Heidi -

NEVER use your name or portion of your address, regqardless of the level of WEP you use. Use something to confuse and mystify any hackers in the neighborhood. They will spend days driving around trying to figure just which house is:

Dive Queen; Scuba Central; Tank Hookup; Oceanic Computer (or whatever brand you have)... Remember, this is just the name assigned to the publically viewable name on your router, not the password!

I will try to come up with a few more for ya. My favorite before I had to use the ATT programmed router name (part of their package) was:
UP MWD Storage

(it took the City of University Park a week to knock on my door...)

UP Diver

[shadragon]

You can also hide your SSID name so no one sees it which has its advantages. Then only you will know the name required to login.

How not to be seen.

As a downside, it will impact on performance though.

[lynnlchan]

So what do you think of the dsl?

[uwfan]

Overall it's been great. A little hiccup tonight getting on but it resolved itself thank goodness. I was about to reset the router and start over when my computer connected. I certainly notice that around 630 my time things SLOW down on the line, but it's no worse than the usual speed I had with dial up and it goes away after about half an hour. That may seem like an eternity to some, but for me it works out just fine. I go off and do other things, and come back.

[shadragon]

I remember going from a 1200 to 9600 baud modem thinking it was incredibly fast. Those were the days. Now I sit here with a 6MB connection waiting, and waiting for that 700MB file to download...

From the Simpsons

Moe: I got this deep fryer on loan from the US Army. It can flash fry a buffalo in 40 seconds

Homer: 40 secoonnds... but i want it nooow

[ddierolf]

I remember going from a 1200 to 9600 baud modem thinking it was incredibly fast. Those were the days. Now I sit here with a 6MB connection waiting, and waiting for that 700MB file to download...

From the Simpsons

Moe: I got this deep fryer on loan from the US Army. It can flash fry a buffalo in 40 seconds

Homer: 40 secoonnds... but i want it nooow

1200 baud modem. I still have some 5 1/4 360k single side floppies if you like! About 10 years ago I got rid of an NCR that had one of the first 10 mb internal hard drives. The drive was the size of a small shoe box.

I also agree, no network is ever completely secure. People make it a mission in life to be in other peoples business no matter what. Just like anything today, just take whatever steps you can to minimize your risk.