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