Someone stealing my Wirelss connection - Help!

ibz2004

Hello people i have a problem and i would really appreciate some advice please.

I have two computers. The main one is on XP. I have one downstairs on Vista. They are connected via Wireless Router (Belkin)

I have ensured that i have enabled security (done via the Belkin website).
Security Mode - WPA/WPA2-Personal (PSK)
Authentication - WPA-PSK
Encryption Technique - TKIP
Password - only i know it

However when i click on the LAN > DHCP Client List there are 3 Host names. One is mine, the other is downstairs pc. The 3rd says "Unknown":

IP Address Host Name MAC Address
192.151.2.4 My-PC 1 00:17:4f:8e:4c:3c
192.151.2.2 My PC 2 00:18:32:07:d0:a0
192.151.2.3 unknown 00:1e:3a:11:2e:0f


Is this unknown person stealing my connection. Why isnt the security working? It prompts me for a password when connecting to the interet on the downstairs pc so i assumed it would also prompt anyone else. Im confused. Please help!

Rev

Most routers allow mac filtering, you can add the PC's to the list and it'll only allow those with the correct mac address to use the network.

Change both the password you use to access the routers settings page and encryption key all the PC's use to access the network.

I usually use https://www.grc.com/passwords.htm to create a encryption key, using the '63 random printable ASCII characters method.

Also hide your SSID (network name), so it's not broadcasting when people search.

None of the above are hack proof, but it takes about five minutes and makes it pretty difficult for your average joe to access your network.
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inamabilis

ibz2004 wrote: »

192.151.2.3 unknown 00:1e:3a:11:2e:0f

00:1e:3a is a vendor code for nokia so it is most likely a mobile phone with wifi connectivity. Perhaps the N95? Having said that nokia make lots of things, not just phones

x2o

Hi what router do you have?

Have a look if their is an Access List option this will allow you to lock the mac addresses of the wireless devices you can connect to the router.

ibz2004

x2o wrote: »

Hi what router do you have?

Have a look if their is an Access List option this will allow you to lock the mac addresses of the wireless devices you can connect to the router.

Thanks for the reply guys. It is a Belkin Wireless G router (connected directly to my pc via ethernet - i think somoene asked me that)

I will try and hide my network name and filter mac addresses so only the two trusted pcs can use the connection (once i figure out how to do that!)
i'll also unplug and replug the leads that go into the router - that im sure i can do lol. Thanks again

x2o

ibz2004 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply guys. It is a Belkin Wireless G router (connected directly to my pc via ethernet - i think somoene asked me that)

I will try and hide my network name and filter mac addresses so only the two trusted pcs can use the connection (once i figure out how to do that!)
i'll also unplug and replug the leads that go into the router - that im sure i can do lol. Thanks again

I've read the user guide you need a Mac Address Filter you will find this on page 73 of the pdf guid.

The filter allows you to add the mac address of all the devices you want to connect to the router and blocks others who should not have access.

To find the mac address of your computer go to start / run and type in cmd then click ok

then type in ipconfig/all

That will give you the full details of the ip setup and mac address of your computer.

The mac address will be the Physical Address listed near the top of the information.

Rev

loaner wrote: »

Just change the wpa password, that is what is makes you secure, hiding ssid and mac address filtering is tweaking at the edges, both are easily overriden by any hacker.

I suspect that unless you have chosen an easily guessable password, the answer is closer to home

And the WPA passkey is just as easily overridden for anyone who really wanted to access that particular network and had the right equipment.

Yes the mac address filtering and hiding SSID are easily overridden by any hacker, but the hacker would have to put in a lot more effort than they would if they decided to hack a visible network that wasn't using mac filtering.

Why would a hacker chose a hidden network they'd have to clone a mac address for and hack the WPA just to access. When there are plenty of unsecured networks about.

It's about making it as difficult as possible for anyone who is trying to hack.

ibz2004

False alarm guys - it was my brother on his nokia phone! The poster who said it was closer to home was not wrong. Also someone spotted it was a nokia user. It seems i queried this issue in the right place because there are alot of helpful people on here who know what theyr talking about. I am very grateful for your advice and tips. I will filter the mac addresses none-the-less. Thanks again

Rev

loaner wrote: »

it doesn't make it difficult, if they've cracked wpa, they already know the allowed mac addresses. the quickest way of fixing this problem (if it is a problem at all) is to change the password to something long, takes 30 seconds.

wpa is not easy to crack unless you use a short/dictionary password.

unsecured networks are getting rarer, one in range, even rarer. and in this case, why would the supposed hacker have had a go at wpa, if the street is littered with unsecure networks.

I beg to differ. I've just scanned for networks with my laptop and discovered no less than 3 unsecured networks. And I'd guarantee, if I walked half way down my street, I'd find more.

Just because it says WPA, doesn't mean it's a long password, so a hacker would happily have a go. And knowing the mac address isn't the same as cloning it to be able to access the network. If a network is hidden, mac filtering and using a strong WPA, it's at it's most difficult for any hacker to crack.

I'm not disputing the fact a strong WPA is the most important part of setting up a secure network, thats why I gave the OP the GRC link. I'm simply saying the other option available aren't 'tweaking at the edge'. They're making your wireless network more secure.