blogs.techrepublic.com.com — I've seen a lot of misinformation about securing wi-fi networks. This article debunks those myths by explaining why mac filtering and ssid hiding is pointless in most cases. Looks like the only effective security is WPA with a strong passphrase.
Jun 16, 2006 View in Crawl 4
jtjdtJun 17, 2006
Where the writer says "Just use 802.11a" he is referring not to a security standard, but 802.11a is the least popular wireless standard and most hackers only have b&g compatible cards. So if your network is 5GHz 802.11a, it is less likely for a hacker to have that particular card.
Closed AccountJun 17, 2006Submitter
I use WPA to keep private data sent over the network secure, not to keep out unauthorized clients from logging in. Methods that you mention such as using timer or setting up VPN seem more time and resource consuming than a set-it-and-forget-it WPA-PSK method. Of course, businesses may be able to afford a dedicated computer for VPN or Radius, but do you expect the average home user to set up a VPN server?
therernospoonsJun 17, 2006
any smart ways to secure a wireless network?
chervianneJun 18, 2006
A lot of great points are made in this article... keep in mind there is a large difference in what makes sense to protect a home network versus a business network which generates a lot of the debate. At home, I am more concerned about the freeloading and where someone will go. At work, there are critical resources and business assets to protect. My home security configurations are much more basic; my work wireless security is PKI based.
ogletreeJun 18, 2006
kolop1 what are you talking about. Why would they not be able to use it. You just have 2 wireless access points one secure and one not secure. Only connect to the secure one. If you accidently connect to the dummy one then you are too stupid to be setting up a secure network. It is very common to set up less secure hardware that goes nowhere to catch people with. As a matter of fact if you want a very secure network I think it is very important to set up a less secure dummy access point to throw people off.
suicideinvoiceJun 18, 2006
Their called Honey Pots and system admins/engineers have been using them for a long time. An open system will lure a 'hacker' away from other important systems. Though, i've never worked for a complany that acually uses these anymore. It's better just to beef up security and not have them get in in the first place.Not like some home user is going to set up a dummy access point to trap leet hacksores or however you kids are spelling being a nerd these days.
drachefliegerJun 19, 2006
I'm using DHCP disabled with a range of 5 IPs with all computers on 24/7. How can this be broken?