Wireless Network Security
Secure your Wireless Network
Wireless Network Security is a serious issue and is not to be taken lightly. There are countless tools out there to help hackers compromise your wireless security. So how do you minimize or possibly eliminate the risk of hackers accessing your data? Below I’ll list key items to help secure your wireless network; I’ll also list a few free tools that hackers use to grab your information. Wireless hackers are commonly referred to as `war drivers’ and `war walkers’.
The first item you’ll want to consider when working with Wireless Network Security is identification. Change your SSID to something other than the manufacturer’s default and disable broadcasting of your SSID. Many basic wireless scanners will not detect a hidden SSID. Check your wireless network hardware manual for more information on how to do this.
Encrypt the data that travels around your wireless network. WEP (called Wired Equivalent Privacy) is designed to provide protection by encrypting wireless data as it traverses the airwaves.
When using WEP, use a 128-bit key. The programs that can crack WEP need to collect a large number of encrypted data to figure out your key. This means that a hacker would need to sit around for at least a few hours (usually days) collecting this information - an unlikely scenario for most hackers. WEP is not flawless, but it is a big deterrent considering there are probably other, more inviting, none WEP networks nearby.
Note: Some wireless vendors sell devices that change the encryption key after a set amount of time. Changing the key every 20 minutes would make it just about impossible to break.
Wireless Network Security Tools
There are a number of wireless network security tools that can be used to grab the wireless information out of the air, some are detectable and some are not. The full list and more information information can be found at the Wireless Network Security.
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