I Know I already have done a post on wireless security but I’m doing another one because of my iPhone. One of the nice features of the iPhone is that you your can connect to a wireless network to surf the web, and you can set it to ask you to join wireless networks when it finds one and guess what? you cannot believe how many open (unsecured) wireless networks I can see (without even logging into them). Frequently, when I tell the network owner about this a get one of the following answers.
“No one can get close enough to connect”
“There’s nothing on my network worth accessing”
“It’s too much trouble”
Let me deal with these excuses:
1. No one can get close enough. Yes its true.. for reasons nobody understands, in your house you have to be right next to the wireless access point to get a strong signal, but the specified maximum distance for wi-fi is just over 100ft, and I guarantee that somewhere (that you are not) its getting that range. That may be your neighbors house or someone’s car (with a laptop) across the street. Besides, if the hacker is at all serious about getting “free wi-fi” he probably has an antenna that significantly extends his range. So unless you live in the middle of 50 acres of land surrounded by barbed wire, and patrolled by dogs, someone can get your wi-fi signal.
2. There’s nothing on my network worth accessing. Let me list the stuff on your network worth accessing.
A. Bandwidth – Someone else can download files, movies, etc and slow down your network
B. Your Networks Identity. If I want to access illegal sites or download illegal files (Pirated Software, Music, etc) I can use your network, and then the download will be traced to you not me. When the RIAA or FBI, or whomever, shows up at your door, you are going to have some explaining to do.
C. Your Network Communications. Even if you don’t have any computers on your network but just hook up with a laptop, the somewhat savvy hacker can capture all of your you send over the network (like logins and passwords to your banking site).
D. Anything on any computer on your network. Once a hacker has access wi-fi connection, they can at their leisure find any weakness, or un-patched security holes in your network, and steal everything other piece of information of of value on your network.
3. Its too much trouble. See #2 above
So please read
this post (or someone else’s if its better) and get your network secured, while wireless security isn’t the greatest, and it cannot guarantee that you won’t get hacked, It will make it easier for the hacker to hack your neighbors unsecured network instead of yours.
Please Note: It is illegal to connect to someone else’s’ network without their permission. I only connect to wireless networks with permission.
