We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum... Read More »
We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Is Wireless Really Safe??
Options
Shawz
Posts: 1,054 Forumite
in Techie Stuff
I understand you can switch some settings off on wireless cards and access points (SSID etc) and can setup to only work with certain mac address's but I have also heard that hackers are able to break into a wireless network by tricking the card/network with an identical mac address.
Is this true
I was thinking of getting a wireless network for home but don't want to get one if people can hack into it and use my broadband connection
Is this true
I was thinking of getting a wireless network for home but don't want to get one if people can hack into it and use my broadband connection
Looking to raise some money 
0
Comments
-
-
Thanks Fran
Looking to raise some money0 -
It can never be (with present technology) 100% safe.
Most set-ups completely omit the more technical security settings because they are compelx to manage.
Anyone with a wireless card and a sniffer program can in theory gain access. Even clever MAC security cannot secure it completely.
At the very least hackers they can jump on your connection and use your bandwidth (this is the easiest way to use a connection), at wost if your security is bad, they can browse your files and do damage.
In a recent technical article in the UK, a IT expert driving down a main street in London, found he could connect to company after company, who'd left their connections open.
The only way you can be 100% secure is to have a wired network.0 -
Thanks for the info Converse.
I think I stick with a wired network. I have heard of some horror stories of peple securing their wireless network only for someone to come along wardriving and jump on their connection and surf some dodgy sites, and as far as I am aware you are then liable. Not very nice!Looking to raise some money0 -
It is a nightmare, there are so many gotchas to watch out for, anything that transmits data in the air will be unsafe, regardless what you read, or makers claims.
Wired is definitely a very good option, if you are running a business you can improve security via wireless if you use a VPN, but it's another level of complexity.
I'd stick to wired.
But if you really need it, get a good hardware router with a firewall and NAT translation built in, have all up-to-date spyware blockers, anti-virus and also a third party software firewall on top, and ensure every bit of security for the wireless is enabled! Oh and don't share anything on your computer you don't need to!0 -
WEP encryption isn't that secure, because of the way the packets are encoded patterns such as MAC addresses are quite easily identified and you can break the encryption and determine MAC address and SSID. There's a few tools around to make it easy.
WPA encryption is more secure (particularly if you can tie it in with PSK (public shared key) on a server). However, not all wireless routers support WPA.
In general I would only use wireless if wired is not an option. Wireless can be a bit of a dark art (depends on location of wireless computer and access points, construction of buildings etc.)Hug provider for depression thread :grouphug:
"I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell.." - Unwell by Matchbox Twenty0 -
Last night I came accross a download and immediately thought of this thread. Offered, was a bundle of three programs specifically designed to sniff out and crack the encryptions of wireless networks. I read up on these, and believe me it is scary how easy it would be to crack into most wireless systems. One program claimed to crack the passwords in just one second after analysing the data sent accross the network. This download was very popular with hundreds of people downloading it as I looked.
I see requests for info on wireless networks all the time in here. For anyone interested in a wireless network, you've got to realise that it is VERY easy to break into it. If you are at all concerned about the safety of your network, dump the idea of wireless and use a wired network.How many surrealists does it take to change a lightbulb?
...
...
...
...
Fish0 -
Security isnt 100 percent but what is?
First thing is to set it up to stop broadcasting , ie no ssid , change the ssid name and router password frmo the default as soon as you get the router.
Next hardware allocate the network to mac adresses , these true can be "copied" , for the most part the person NEEDS acess to the pcs to get them , ie to be infront of your pc or REMOTELY accessing it.
FIREWALL , some can configure hardware firewalls to specifiic domains or pcs , instead of mshome give your domain a unique id like yournameplusunique.
Next is UNIQUE security key for the wireless devices , make a key that is unique , put it on a floppy or usbstick and install on any wireless machine.
Dont download attachments in emails incase someone IS deliberately trying to backdoor you , usually thats someone you know.
Most script kiddies wont get past the above security , and that is REALLY the only ones to fear , that and neighbours.A real hacker could get past and into your machine and network if they wanted too , wireless or not.
enjoy0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply
Categories
- All Categories
- 350.8K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 453.5K Spending & Discounts
- 243.8K Work, Benefits & Business
- 598.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 176.8K Life & Family
- 257.1K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.6K Read-Only Boards