Intro to Wireless Security

Change the System ID: Devices come with a default system ID called the SSID (Service Set Identifier) or ESSID (Extended Service Set Identifier). It is easy for a hacker to find out what the default identifier is for each manufacturer of wireless equipment so you need to change this to something else. Use something unique- not your name or something easily guessed. Disable Identifier Broadcasting: Announcing that you have a wireless connection to the world is an invitation for hackers. You already know you have one so you don’t need to broadcast it. Check the manual for your hardware and figure out how to disable broadcasting. Enable Encryption: WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) and WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) encrypt your data so that only the intended recipient is supposed to be able to read it. WEP has many holes and is easily cracked. 128-bit keys impact performance slightly without a significant increase in security so 40-bit (or 64-bit on some equipment) encryption is just as well. As with all security measures there are ways around it, but by using encryption you will keep the casual hackers out of your systems. If possible, you should use WPA encryption (most older equipment can be upgraded to be WPA compatible). WPA fixes the security flaws in WEP but it is still subject to DOS (denial-of-service) attacks. Restrict Unnecessary Traffic: Many wired and wireless routers have built-in firewalls. They are not the most technically advanced firewalls, but they help create one more line of defense. Read the manual for your hardware and learn how to configure your router to only allow incoming or outgoing traffic that you have approved. Change the Default Administrator Password: This is just good practice for ALL hardware and software. The default passwords are easily obtained and because so many people don’t bother to take the simple step of changing them they are usually what hackers try first. Make sure you change the default password on your wireless router / access point to something that is not easily guessed like your last name. Patch and Protect Your PC’s: As a last line of defense you should have personal firewall software such as Zone Alarm Pro and anti-virus software installed on your computer. As important as installing the anti-virus software, you must keep it up to date. New viruses are discovered daily and anti-virus software vendors generally release updates at least once a week. You also must keep up to date with patches for known security vulnerabilities. For Microsoft operating systems you can use Windows Update to try and help keep you current with patches. if(zSbL

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Hide Your Wireless Network

High-speed broadband connections don't just grow on trees. We all like getting our money's worth when it comes to our Internet connection so we often extend its reach by adding a wireless router or a wireless access point. Once we start broadcasting wireless access, our signal can potentially be picked up outside of our home by our neighbors. If we haven't secured our connection then they might be able to connect and use our Internet access.

Enter: The Wireless Internet Leech. These people live right around you or might just be passing thru so they can do a "drive-by-leeching". They have no problem connecting to your wireless network and killing your bandwidth while you pay the bill. They don't think twice about connecting to any open wireless access point they happen to find.

There are websites devoted to finding open wireless access points. Some leeches even spray graffiti or use chalk near an open wireless access point to mark or Warchalk the site so others will know where they can get free wireless access. Warchalkers use codes and symbols to indicate the SSID name, bandwidth available, encryption used, etc.

How do you prevent your neighbors and others from leeching off of your wireless internet connection?

1. Turn on WPA2 encryption on your wireless router

If you haven't already done so, consult your wireless router's manual and enable WPA2 encryption on your wireless router. You may already have encryption turned on, but you may be using the outdated and vulnerable WEP encryption. WEP is easily hacked by even the most novice hacker in less than a minute or two by using free tools found on the Internet. Turn on WPA2 encryption and set a strong password for your network.

2. Change your wireless network's name (SSID)

Your SSID is the name that you give your wireless network. You should always change this name from its manufacturer set default which is usually the brand name of the router (i.e. Linksys, Netgear, D-link, etc). Changing the name helps to prevent hackers and leeches from finding specific vulnerabilities associated with your brand of router. If hackers know the brand name, then they could find an exploit to use against it (if one exists). The brand name also helps them determine what the default admin password for the router might be (if you haven't changed it).

Make the SSID something random and try to make it as long as you are comfortable with. The longer the SSID the better as it helps prevent hackers from using Rainbow Table-based attacks to try and crack your wireless encryption.

3. Turn off the "allow admin via wireless" feature of your wireless router

As an extra precaution against hackers, turn off the "allow admin via wireless" feature on your router. This will help to prevent a wireless hacker from gaining control of your wireless router. Turning this feature off tells your router to only permit router administration from a computer that is directly connected via an Ethernet cable. This means that they would pretty much have to be in your house in order to access the admin console of your router.

Your neighbors will likely be a little mad at you for turning off their free Internet gravy train. They may sneer at you and let their dog use the bathroom in your yard from now on. At least now that they are no longer getting a free ride, maybe you will have enough bandwidth to stream an HD movie without it stuttering and getting all "blocky" for a change.

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Rogue Wireless Clients

You pay a pretty penny for that super fast internet connection, but you aren't seeing anywhere close to the speeds promised by your Internet service provider. It could be any number of problems. One thing that will suck the life out of your bandwidth are wireless freeloaders. They will hop on to any wireless network connection they can find and use your bandwidth to their heart's content.

How can you tell if someone is connected to your wireless network without your permission?

1. Log on to the administrative interface on your wireless router / wireless access point

In order to view the current active wireless connections using your wireless access point you will need to log in to the administrative console of your wireless router. Check your router manufacturer's user guide for detailed instructions.

2. Click on the wireless configuration / status page from your router's admin console

While all routers are different, usually the list of active wireless clients is provided on either the 'wireless configuration' page or the 'wireless status' page on most wireless routers. Look for a list of wireless clients.

You should see a table with two columns. One column will show the Media Access Control (MAC) address which is a unique identifier assigned to the network interface of whatever device is connected to your network. The other column should contain the IP addresses that were assigned to the devices by your router.

If you have DHCP enabled on your router then your router will automatically assign an IP address to any client that is authenticated (whether they hacked their way in or not). Only after the router gives the client an IP is the client able to connect to resources on your network and reach the internet.

3. Count your wireless devices

Do you only have a laptop and a smartphone that use your wireless access point yet you see 20 different clients listed in the wireless clients table? If the numbers aren't adding up, then you may have some rogue wireless clients or you may just have some devices that you forgot had wireless connections such as your XBOX or your Wi-Fi enabled camcorder.

4. Look up the MAC addresses of any suspicious devices to see what they are

So you've counted up all your wireless devices and there are two more than you think you are supposed to have. It's time to lookup the MAC addresses to see who made the device so you can learn what it might be. Visit a MAC Vendor lookup site such as MACVendorLookup.com and enter the MAC address of the suspicious device. The site will tell you who the manufacturer of the device-in-question is. If it says "Dell Inc." and you don't own any Dell computers then, chances are, someone is hijacking your connection and freeloading off your Wi-Fi.

5. Lock out the wireless freeloaders

If someone is using your wireless network without your permission then one of two things has happened, you've either turned off security completely and are allowing anyone to connect to your access point or someone has cracked your wireless encryption or cracked / guessed your wireless password.

The best way to get rid of unauthorized wireless users is to first ensure that you are using the latest wireless encryption mechanism (currently WPA2). Once you are using the latest and greatest security then you should change your wireless network's name to something other than the default because hackers have tools that make cracking the password of a known network name a fairly simple task.

After you've chosen a good network name that is not on the list of the Top 1000 Most Common SSIDs then you should create a strong wireless network password (also known as a Pre Shared Key). Performing these steps should get rid of all the freeloaders who are using your network.

Don't forget that you'll have to give out your new wireless network name and password to all your legitimate / authorized users so they can rejoin your network after you've purged all the leeches.

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Wireless Security FAQ Complex

The wireless router has becoming such as common household appliance that most people forget its even there. These devices have become so easy to setup that many of us don't bother to even change the default settings or configure the wireless security features.

Leaving your wireless router unsecured can not only leave your network open to attack, it can also subject your network to leeching neighbors who will eat away the precious bandwidth that you pay your hard earned money for.

Securing your Wireless Router can be tricky. Here are some frequently asked questions and answers to help you choose and lock down a wireless router or access point:

1. Is my Wireless Network Safe if my Wireless Router has WEP Security Turned on?

Answer: No. While Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) was an excellent wireless encryption standard a few years ago, it does not provide the same level of protection as newer standards such as Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). WEP has been cracked and can be easily circumvented by hackers using tools that are freely available on the Internet.

2. What Security Features Should I Look for When Buying a Wireless Router?

Answer: Make sure any wireless router or access point you buy supports the latest wireless encryption standards such as WPA/WPA2. Other features to look for include: Built-in firewall Media Access Control (MAC) address filtering capability Remote administration lockout feature The ability to disable Service Set Identifier (SSID) broadcasting Access time limit control Parental control Restricted “guest” network zoning 3. How do I keep Neighbors From Leeching off of my Wireless Internet Connection?

Answer: The best way to keep people from freeloading off of your wireless connection is to: Enable WPA2 encryption on your wireless router or access point and set a strong password that is not easily guessed Change the SSID (wireless network name) to something other than the default value set by the manufacturer Turn off the “Broadcast SSID” feature of your router or access point so that only those who know what the network’s name is can access it 4. How Can I Keep my Kids From Using Wi-Fi on Their iPod/DS to Access the Internet?

Answer: Kids will be kids. They are very tech-savvy and will do everything they can to circumvent any security barriers you put up. Here are a few actions you can take to make it as difficult as possible for them: Use WPA2 encryption on your router with a strong password and don’t give them the password Change your wireless router’s default administration password Disable your wireless router’s remote administration feature Locate the wireless router in your bedroom or a locked closet to prevent them from pressing the factory settings reset button Enable the parental control features of their game device or iPod Enable MAC address filtering on your wireless router and exclude the MAC address of their device(s) from those allowed access Enable the access time restrictions feature of your wireless router and limit Internet access to daytime hours only 5. Is it legal to use my neighbor’s wireless hotspot if he left it unsecured?

Answer: Is it legal for you to go in your neighbor’s house if he left the door unlocked? No, it is not legal. The same applies to his wireless access point.

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Wireless Hack

You're using a wireless access point that has encryption so you're safe, right? Wrong! Hackers want you to believe that you are protected so you will remain vulnerable to their attacks. Here are 4 things that wireless hackers hope you won't find out, otherwise they might not be able to break into your network and/or computer:

1. WEP encryption is useless for protecting your wireless network. WEP is easily cracked within minutes and only provides users with a false sense of security.

Even a mediocre hacker can defeat Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)-based security in a matter of minutes, making it essentially useless as a protection mechanism. Many people set their wireless routers up years ago and have never bothered to change their wireless encryption from WEP to the newer and stronger WPA2 security. Updating your router to WPA2 is a fairly simple process. Visit your wireless router manufacturer's website for instructions.

2. Using your wireless router's MAC filter to prevent unauthorized devices from joining your network is ineffective and easily defeated.

Every piece of IP-based hardware, whether it's a computer, game system, printer, etc, has a unique hard-coded MAC address in its network interface. Many routers will allow you to permit or deny network access based on a device's MAC address. The wireless router inspects the MAC address of the network device requesting access and compares it your list of permitted or denied MACs. This sounds like a great security mechanism but the problem is that hackers can "spoof" or forge a fake MAC address that matches an approved one. All they need to do is use a wireless packet capture program to sniff (eavesdrop) on the wireless traffic and see which MAC addresses are traversing the network. They can then set their MAC address to match one of that is allowed and join the network.

3. Disabling your wireless router's remote administration feature can be a very effective measure to prevent a hacker from taking over your wireless network.

Many wireless routers have a setting that allows you to administer the router via a wireless connection. This means that you can access all of the routers security settings and other features without having to be on a computer that is plugged into the router using an Ethernet cable. While this is convenient for being able to administer the router remotely, it also provides another point of entry for the hacker to get to your security settings and change them to something a little more hacker friendly. Many people never change the factory default admin passwords to their wireless router which makes things even easier for the hacker. I recommend turning the "allow admin via wireless" feature off so only someone with a physical connection to the network can attempt to administer the wireless router settings.

4. If you use public hotspots you are an easy target for man-in-the-middle and session hijacking attacks.

Hackers can use tools like Firesheep and AirJack to perform "man-in-the-middle" attacks where they insert themselves into the wireless conversation between sender and receiver. Once they have successfully inserted themselves into the line of communications, they can harvest your account passwords, read your e-mail, view your IMs, etc. They can even use tools such as SSL Strip to obtain passwords for secure websites that you visit. I recommend using a commercial VPN service provider to protect all of your traffic when you are using wi-fi networks. Costs range from $7 and up per month. A secure VPN provides an additional layer of security that is extremely difficult to defeat. Unless the hacker is extremely determined they will most likely move on and try an easier target.

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