The Dangers of Unsecured Wireless Networks

In the last few years there has been an explosion of wireless (Wi-Fi) networks in the home. And for good reason: They are inexpensive to implement, avoid the cost and labor of running cable through your walls, allow you to roam merrily around your house and near environs with computer in tow. Plus, they are relatively simple to set up. I say "relatively" because it's far from a matter of commonsense, especially when it comes to setting up wireless home networks "properly."

You can get a home wireless network running in a basic way- to access the Internet--by simply hooking up the cables that came with the wireless router device. This is what a lot of people do, and it usually works. But what many people neglect to do is set up wireless security, and this is an extremely risky oversight. In this article I'll explain why.

You Can Get "WarChalked"

"WarChalking" is geek-speak for someone piggybacking or freeloading on someone else's wireless Internet connection, without that person's knowledge or consent.

If you have an unsecured wireless network this is the least that could happen. Your neighbor might be getting free Internet access by connecting to your unsecured broadband router. There is nothing to prevent this from happening if you have not set up your wireless security. At the very least this practice of leaching on someone else's Internet connection can drain the victim's bandwidth, causing sluggish downloads or surfing. If enough people tap into your wireless network your Internet connection could slow down to a crawl.

Your Computer Can Get Hacked

Having an unsecured wireless network can also allow people unauthorized access into your computer and private data. It opens up a "backdoor" even if your network is otherwise protected behind a firewall. Connecting wirelessly to your Internet gateway device (i.e., your Cox, Comcast, or Qwest modem) puts an unauthorized user on the "inside" of your network, just as if they snuck into your house and hooked up to your network with an Ethernet cable.

Pretty scary, right? It gets much worse.

Your Private Information or Identity Can Be Stolen

If you purchase anything online you need to submit very personal information to the website selling the product or service: information like credit card numbers, social security numbers, bank account numbers, usernames and passwords, etc.

Even if the website in question encrypts your private information during the submission process, there's little to prevent an eavesdropper from snooping in on the transaction or installing software on your computer that logs your every keystroke.

Your Home Network Can Be Used to Mask Someone Else's Illegal Activity

Every wireless home network (or more accurately, every wireless gateway device) will have a unique address traceable to its owner and his or her household. This is called an "IP Address"-let's say 71.33.56.166. This number uniquely identifies your home network from the countless others in the world. No two are ever the same.

This IP Address is unique for many reasons, and one reason is that it allows certain authorities to trace online activities back to the individual, household, or company from which those activities originated. Even though you may feel anonymous when you're surfing the Web, you really are not. Any webserver or Internet Service Provider can keep a log that records your IP Address, among other information about your computer and software.

Now, this doesn't bother most people, unless they're privacy advocates, because they're not doing anything criminal on the Internet. But it's a big problem for those who are committing crimes on the Web. How can they get around this?

They can tap into an unsecured wireless network in the neighborhood. This makes it very easy for them to get around being identified by the proper authorities. Why? Because it is you and your home network that will be identified instead! It's your IP Address that will be recorded.

Not many people want to get their doors kicked in by the FBI during a predawn raid due to someone else's Internet activities. Someone could be using your wireless network to download or distribute child pornography, hack into corporate networks, or to commit credit card fraud.

Okay, Now I'm Scared. What Can I Do To Prevent This?

The quick and easy way is to hire a professional computer or network technician to secure your wireless network for you, or at least verify that you have done it properly.

Each wireless router or gateway device can be different when it comes to how to set up its security. The device should come with instructions from the manufacturer or your ISP.

The most important thing is to set up the WEP or Wireless Encryption Protocol. WEP is what encrypts the data stream between your computer and whatever webserver on the Internet you are connecting to, preventing unauthorized interlopers from eavesdropping on your online activities, credit card transactions, and the like.

Just as importantly, it also prevents unauthorized individuals from connecting to your wireless network, either to piggyback on your Internet connection for free or to conceal their identities behind your own. They must have the encryption key to connect.

There are also additional measures you can take to protect your wireless network. For example, you can disable the feature that broadcasts your wireless network ID, for all practical purposes making your wireless network invisible to your neighbors. This is a smart thing to do but is often overlooked.

Chris Brehm
Tucson Computer Repair Service
Chris@Smbaz.com
http://www.TucsonComputerRepairService.com

Network Security - The Risks of Having an Unsecured Network

One of the reasons why it is necessary to make sure that your network is fully secured is to ensure that it cannot be hacked or any of your information passed on to third parties; this is primarily because extremely important information will invariably be passed from one computer to another computer, within the network during a working day. If the network is not secure at the logical as well as the physical level, one is definitely not going to know that important information is being funnelled through channels up on the Internet to possibly your rivals as well as your competition.

That is the reason a good network security company is going to make sure that every single security tool and other necessary features, such as firewalls, are in place. Fundamentally, the primary reason for doing all of this is quite simply to protect your hardware as well as the data to the best of your ability. The way in which this is carried out, including the methods and tools is all very much dependent on the network that you have and what your business requirements are.

An unsecured network on which internal management as well as external penetration and hacking tests have not been done are definitely a security hazard for any company out there. That is the reason why a company's key assets need to be protected in the strictest manner possible.

One of the most biggest risks about having an unsecured network is that the moment you go online on an http:// (including intranet) connection, there is a chance of every sort of vital information being transferred from your computer. In the same manner important information can be downloaded straight from your different hard drives, just because some other computer has managed to bypass your security measures. That is one of the more risky aspects of working on a computer on an unsecured network.

If your company has a number of computers that are connected to each other through a faulty and unsecured network, it isn't every single business transaction between them easily accessed by anybody connected to that is at risk from hacking. Private information including credit card information and any other data, which you may have stored in your computer system is also obtainable to unscrupulous information thieves and hackers out there if given the opportunity. That is the reason why it is necessary to look for a company which can give you exceptional security measures including extremely efficient firewalls so that there is absolutely no question of any sort of information being transferred to computers outside the network.

If you find yourself upon an unsecured network, you should be particularly wary when exchanging any personal information and sending anything online. In the same manner, it is always a good strategy to make sure that you disconnect the link when you are not using it, especially when you do not know whether the network is secure or not. This goes a long way in keeping your computer and network safe from unwanted access from external parties.

Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who writes for a number of UK businesses. For information on Network Security, he recommends Network 24.