| In November 2003, Toronto police arrested a man in | | | | Unfortunately, consumer routers are shipped wide |
| an upscale residential neighborhood. They noticed his | | | | open. That is they have no preconfigured security. |
| car driving slowly the wrong way down a one-way | | | | You, the homeowner, will have to configure the |
| street. Upon stopping the car, the police discovered the | | | | security setting yourself. |
| driver naked from the waist down. What was he | | | | Your wireless router and network interface card (NIC) |
| doing? | | | | are the parts that actually talk to each other. Each of |
| He was using his laptop to download and watch | | | | them has a MAC address. This is a unique number |
| "kiddie" porn from the Internet! How? He was | | | | assigned to every NIC made, worldwide. |
| connecting to the internet using unprotected wireless | | | | Using this MAC address, you set the router security to |
| systems in the houses near the road! | | | | talk only to certain other MAC addresses. Therefore, if |
| Here is the problem, if someone were to access the | | | | you have two laptops in your network, you add both |
| Internet and download illegal material, then disconnect | | | | MAC addresses to your router security setup and any |
| and drive off; it would look like the homeowner did the | | | | other MAC addresses are blocked. |
| downloading. How hard would it be to convince the FBI | | | | This security setup works well for keeping the |
| that you were a victim? | | | | average wireless user out of your system, but a |
| This is not the only time this has happened. In a recent | | | | competent hacker can bypass it. A technique called |
| interview, attorney Joseph Burton, of Duane Morris | | | | spoofing allows the hacker's computer to pretend to |
| Law Firm, said, "Is it possible a home owner can be | | | | be one of your laptops and trick the system into letting |
| liable for a lack of security on a wireless network? | | | | him in. |
| Yes, if they are negligent in setting up security." | | | | To prevent this you would need to add additional |
| (Richard Shim, CNET News.com). | | | | layers of security. Keep in mind though, every additional |
| According to research by the World Wide War Drive | | | | layer of security adds to the burden of your network. It |
| over 228,537 wireless access points were detected. | | | | slows things down. |
| Over 62% were totally open and unprotected! In San | | | | Litigation seems to be a national past time these days. |
| Antonio Texas, the percentage of unprotected | | | | Protect yourself and your family by taking some of |
| networks is slightly higher. | | | | the precautions listed above. If you feel you need the |
| Some wireless access points can extend their | | | | extra protection offered by WEP or another |
| coverage over 300 feet from the unit. Sure, the | | | | encryption scheme contact your locate computer |
| farther away, the slower the connection, but even one | | | | technician and have him configure it for you. |
| mbps is faster than a dialup connection. Add that to | | | | This is an especially important decision for those who |
| being untraceable and you have a pervert's heaven! | | | | run their own business and use wireless products. How |
| Having a wireless network connection is a great thing; | | | | angry would your customer's be if someone stole their |
| the freedom it gives you is priceless. With a few | | | | information off your network and used it to open |
| precautions, you can secure your wireless connection | | | | accounts in their name? |
| and surf the World Wide Web from the comfort of | | | | Identity Theft is only one possible outcome, if your |
| your easy chair, bed or backyard. | | | | network contains patient data you could be in violation |
| Conducting a casual site survey around your home will | | | | of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability |
| tell you a lot about your vulnerability. Do you live right | | | | Act (HIPAA). Then you would be dealing with the |
| up on the road? How far from your home, are your | | | | federal government! |
| neighbors? How far does your signal carry from the | | | | Take the time to protect yourself and your family. |
| wireless unit? | | | | Security does take a little time, but it could save you |
| After answering these questions, you can proceed to | | | | many problems down the road. |
| securing the wireless network itself. | | | | |