| Part of securing your network must include | | | | great wireless scanning program. I found my |
| looking at your wireless access points. Wireless | | | | wireless network in the list. I found the connected |
| access can be dangerous to your network. Most | | | | client and the access point, or router. Then I |
| people don't even know how easy it is to exploit | | | | proceeded to do a typical type of attack on the |
| wireless access points. Let me illustrate my point. | | | | network. Hackers need to grab what's called a |
| I went out one afternoon and took my trusty | | | | "packet" from a computer that already has the |
| laptop with me. The task this afternoon was to | | | | key for the secured wireless network. The |
| scan for "open" wireless access points. An "open" | | | | hacker can then use this packet to issue |
| wireless access point is one that has absolutely no | | | | responses from the router. Why is this important? |
| encryption, or security, on the signal. This allows | | | | This allows the hacker to gather a tremendous |
| anyone to listen in on your data stream. If you | | | | amount of data from the access point. And this |
| still don't get it, it's a very bad thing! So, I drove | | | | finally allows the hacker to crack the WEP |
| for about 2 miles through a small business district | | | | security key. |
| and apartment complex. What was the result? | | | | So, I went about hacking my own WEP wireless |
| Oh, about 45 open wireless networks. That | | | | router. I "deauthenticated" my computer that was |
| means that I could log onto those networks, scan | | | | already connected to the router. This gave me |
| it, and exploit machines connected to that | | | | the packet I needed for the router. Then I |
| network. I didn't do that, but you get my drift. | | | | started sending this packet to the router a lot. |
| The lesson here is to encrypt your wireless data | | | | Once I had enough data from the router, I then |
| stream. | | | | passed it to a cracking program. Viola, it cracked |
| Some people think that choosing WEP encryption | | | | the key in about 1 second. After the dust had |
| offers great wireless security. They would be | | | | settled, I had cracked my WEP security in less |
| wrong. Your wireless router may have an option | | | | than 30 minutes! But would the typical user see |
| for WPA and WEP. You should always choose | | | | that I was hacking? Probably not. The only thing |
| WPA security over WEP. Let me illustrate why. I | | | | they would see is that they lost their wireless |
| set up a wireless network in my home. I enabled | | | | connection for a moment. This is when I |
| WEP security at 128 bit encryption. That's | | | | "deauthenticated" them from the network to grab |
| "strong" security for WEP. I wrote down the | | | | the "packet" I needed. |
| security key and then I started my test. My goal | | | | Remember, I had my WEP encryption set to 128 |
| was to hack my own WEP wireless network. I | | | | bits. This is a high level of encryption. But it really |
| thought it was going to be a really hard task. I | | | | doesn't matter. All a hacker needs is a signal a |
| was wrong. | | | | little time to crack that. Remember, hackers are |
| I fired up my linux laptop. Linux is just an | | | | like house thieves. They will go along the path of |
| alternative operating system to Windows. This | | | | least resistance. The harder your wireless signal is |
| particular Linux distribution, or flavor of Linux, was | | | | to crack, the less likely you will be hacked. They |
| a security edition. This gave me all kinds of tools | | | | will simply move along to the next "open" |
| to scan for wireless networks and exploit them. A | | | | network or one with bad encryption. Do yourself |
| typical hacker will have all of these free tools at | | | | a favor, and always choose WPA wireless |
| their disposal. I then fired up Kismet. Kismet is a | | | | security over WEP. |