Detecting leachers on your broadband

everythingblogcast

If you find out that someone has hacked into try to find that and get the police to charge them under the computer missuse act 1990.

GuessWho_2

Not disagreeing with you Kurt, but how would you know that the machine used to hack into yours wasn't a zombie?

it may not be so simple

everythingblogcast

The Router/Gateway will log all wireless access MAC addresses. All you have to do is to look down them until you find MAC addresses that is not any of your wireless machines.

GuessWho_2

Yes, again that's true, but the MAC addresses don't necessarily mean anything (they can be spoofed)!

Could be anybody, maybe just wardrivers stopping by

It's really a legal nightmare trying to prove some of this stuff. Far better to take the proper precautions and don't put yourself in that postion in the first place.

TBH there's no excuse for not invoking wpa-psk encryption (assuming the hardware is capable). It's incredibly simple and with a strong key is (virtually) uncrackable to all intents and purposes.
I use 63 truly random characters so sleep soundly at night

GreenNotM

GuessWho wrote:

I use 63 truly random characters so sleep soundly at night

To sleep really soundly, turn your wireless router off and nobody can attach to your router wirelessly, nor can hacker zombies probe your network.

As MSE'ers everyone should be turning off their unused electrical items anyway, it may not be much for one household but if millions did ..... one small turn-off for mankind ...... :rolleyes:

darbooka wrote:

It's an eTec router.
I'm not so concerned about senstive info, as I am about them using up my metered bandwith.
I have no idea how to set the security encryption.

Hi Darbooka

If you did not load any software for the router, then you can view your router's configuration using Internet Explorer. To find the address Start >> Run... >> Type "cmd" no quotes >> In the command prompt screen >> type "ipconfig"
Note the Default Gateway ....... IP Address maybe 192.168.1.1

Enter this number into the address line of internet explorer. Click around the screens, if you do not have a manual, do not click to save any changes. But please ensure that the admin password is changed form either "password", blank, or "admin" etc - (save this)

HTH
PS you may want to read this sticky on the tech forum Wireless - Look here! File & Printer Sharing too