Secure Your Wifi

How to Secure Your Wireless (Wi- Fi) Home Network Learn how you can secure your wireless network with simple router settings and thus prevent unauthorized users from using your Wi- Fi network. Wireless Networking (Wi- Fi) has made it so easy for anyone to use Internet on your computer, mobile phones, tablets and other wireless devices anywhere in the house without the clutter of cables. With traditional wired networks, it is extremely difficult for someone to steal your bandwidth but the big problem with wireless signals is that others can access the Internet using your broadband connection even while they are in a neighboring building or sitting in a car that’s parked outside your apartment.

This practice, also known as piggybacking, is bad for three reasons: It will increase your monthly Internet bill especially when you have to pay per byte of data transfer. It will decrease your Internet access speed since you are now sharing the same internet connection with other users. It can create a security hazard* as others may hack your computers and access your personal files through your own wireless network.[*] What do the bad guys use – There have been quite a few instances where innocent Internet users have been arrested for sending hate emails when in reality, their email accounts where hacked though the unsecured Wi- Fi networks that they had at home. Wireshark is a free packet sniffing tool for Linux, Mac and Windows that can scan traffic flowing though a wireless network including cookies, forms and other HTTP requests. How to Secure Your Wireless Network. The good news is that it is not very hard to make your wireless network secure, which will both prevent others from stealing your internet and will also prevent hackers from taking control of your computers through your own wireless network. Here a few simple things that you should to secure your wireless network: Step 1.

How to Make a Wireless Network Secure In this short paper, we're going to go through 5 steps to secure a home wireless network. 1. Login to your wireless router. Wireless Witch: How to Secure Your Wireless Network. One of the biggest concerns for wireless users is making sure their router and wireless network are secure. News and information about internet security, online threats and safe web practices. ZoneAlarm is a world leader in firewall & antivirus software, and mobile security. Learn how you can secure your wireless network with simple router settings and thus prevent unauthorized users from using your Wi-Fi network.

Open your router settings page. First, you need to know how to access your wireless router’s settings. Usually you can do this by typing in “1. This is different for each router, so first check your router’s user manual. You can also use Google to find the manuals for most routers online in case you lost the printed manual that came with your router purchase. For your reference, here are direct links to the manufacturer’s site of some popular router brands – Linksys, Cisco, Netgear, Apple Air.

How Secure Your Wifi

Port, SMC, D- Link, Buffalo, TP- LINK, 3. Com, Belkin. Step 2.

Why Should You Secure Your Wifi

I am a visitor to wi-fi.org and would like to access premium content like white papers, specifications, etc. I do not work for a Wi-Fi Alliance member company.

Create a unique password on your router. Once you have logged into your router, the first thing you should do to secure your network is to change the default password* of the router to something more secure. This will prevent others from accessing the router and you can easily maintain the security settings that you want.

You can change the password from the Administration settings on your router’s settings page. The default values are generally admin / password.[*] What do the bad guys use –This is a public database of default usernames and passwords of wireless routers, modems, switches and other networking equipment.

For instance, anyone can easily make out from the database that the factory- default settings for Linksys equipment can be accessed by using admin for both username and password fields. Step 3. Change your Network’s SSID name. The SSID (or Wireless Network Name) of your Wireless Router is usually pre- defined as “default” or is set as the brand name of the router (e. Although this will not make your network inherently* more secure, changing the SSID name of your network is a good idea as it will make it more obvious for others to know which network they are connecting to. This setting is usually under the basic wireless settings in your router’s settings page. Once this is set, you will always be sure that you are connecting to the correct Wireless network even if there are multiple wireless networks in your area.

Don’t use your name, home address or other personal information in the SSID name. Also see: Change Network Name to Prevent Wi- Fi Theft[*] What do the bad guys use –Wi- Fi scanning tools like in. SSIDer (Windows) and Kismet (Mac, Linux) are free and they will allow anyone to find all the available Wireless Networks in an area even if the routers are not broadcasting their SSID name. Step 4. Enable Network Encryption.

In order to prevent other computers in the area from using your internet connection, you need to encrypt your wireless signals. There are several encryption methods for wireless settings, including WEP, WPA (WPA- Personal), and WPA2 (Wi- Fi Protected Access version 2). WEP is basic encryption and therefore least secure (i. WPA2 is the most secure but is only compatible with hardware manufactured since 2. To enable encryption on your Wireless network, open the wireless security settings on your router’s configuration page. This will usually let you select which security method you wish to choose; if you have older devices, choose WEP, otherwise go with WPA2.

Enter a passphrase to access the network; make sure to set this to something that would be difficult for others to guess, and consider using a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters in the passphrase.[*] What do the bad guys use –Air. Crack and co. WPAtty are some free tools that allow even non- hackers to crack the WEP / WPA (PSK) keys using dictionary or brute force techniques. A video on You. Tube suggests that Air. Crack may be easily used to break Wi.

Fi encryption using a jail- broken i. Phone or an i. Pod Touch. Step 5. Filter MAC addresses. Whether you have a laptop or a Wi- Fi enabled mobile phone, all your wireless devices have a unique MAC address (this has nothing to do with an Apple Mac) just like every computer connected to the Internet has a unique IP address. For an added layer of protection, you can add the MAC addresses of all your devices to your wireless router’s settings so that only the specified devices can connect to your Wi- Fi network. MAC addresses are hard- coded into your networking equipment, so one address will only let that one device on the network. It is, unfortunately, possible to spoof a MAC address*, but an attacker must first know one of the MAC addresses of the computers that are connected to your Wireless network before he can attempt spoofing.

To enable MAC address filtering, first make a list of all your hardware devices that you want to connect to your wireless network**. Find their MAC addresses, and then add them to the MAC address filtering in your router’s administrative settings. You can find the MAC address for your computers by opening Command Prompt and typing in “ipconfig /all”, which will show your MAC address beside the name “Physical Address”. You can find the MAC addresses of Wireless mobile phones and other portable devices under their network settings, though this will vary for each device.[*] What do the bad guys use – Someone can change the MAC address of his or her own computer and can easily connect to your network since your network allows connection from devices that have that particular MAC address. Anyone can determine the MAC address of your device wireless using a sniffing tool like Nmap and he can then change the MAC address of his own computer using another free tool like MAC Shift. Step 6. Reduce the Range of the Wireless Signal.

If your wireless router has a high range but you are staying in a small studio apartment, you can consider decreasing the signal range by either changing the mode of your router to 8. You can also try placing the router under the bed, inside a shoe box or wrap a foil around the router antennas so that you can somewhat restrict the direction of signals. Apply the Anti- Wi- Fi Paint – Researchers have developed a special Wi- Fi blocking paint that can help you stop neighbors from accessing your home network without you having to set up encryption at the router level. The paint contains chemicals that blocks radio signals by absorbing them. By coating an entire room, Wi- Fi signals can’t get in and, crucially, can’t get out.”Step 7.

Upgrade your Router’s firmware. You should check the manufacturer’s site occasionally to make sure that your router is running the latest firmware. You can find the existing firmware version of your router using from the router’s dashboard at 1.

Connect to your Secure Wireless Network. To conclude, MAC Address filtering with WPA2 (AES) encryption (and a really complex passphrase) is probably the best way to secure your wireless network. Once you have enabled the various security settings in your wireless router, you need to add the new settings to your computers and other wireless devices so that they all can connect to the Wi- Fi network. You can select to have your computer automatically connect to this network, so you won’t have to enter the SSID, passphrase and В  other information every time you connect to the Internet. Your wireless network will now be a lot more secure and intruders may have a tough time intercepting your Wi- Fi signals. Who is Connected to your Wireless Network.

If you are worried that an outsider may be connecting to the Internet using your Wireless network, try Air. Snare – it’s a free utility that will look for unexpected MAC addresses on your Wireless network as well as to DHCP requests. Another option is that you open your router’s administration page (using the 1. DHCP Clients Table (it’s under Status > Local Network on Linksys routers).

Here you will see a list of all computers and wireless devices that are connected to your home network.*It is also a good idea to turn off the router completely when you are not planning to use the computer for a longer period (like when you are out shopping). You save on electricity and the door remains 1. If you ever want to let a new device connect to your network, you will have to find its MAC address and add it to your router. If you simple want to let a friend connect to your wireless network one time, you can remove his MAC address from the router settings when he or she leaves your place.

Wi- Fi security | ICOComputers and many other devices, including smart phones and PDAs, can connect to the internet wirelessly using Wi- Fi. An unsecured Wi- Fi connection makes it easier for hackers to access your private files and information, and it allows strangers to use your internet connection. These are general tips on changing your router and network settings. You may need to check the instructions for your wireless equipment for the technical details. If you need more guidance on checking or changing your settings, your Wi- Fi equipment supplier or internet provider will provide advice on their websites.

How do I check whether my network is secure? Home Wi- Fi networks are typically created and accessed through a physical device called a broadband router – also known as a hub or wireless router. You will need to connect to your router to check its security settings. The most important of these settings are the administrator password, the wireless security key and encryption method. There are a number of ways to check what these settings are, including: Simple method. When connecting to your wireless network from any device for the first time, you will be asked for the wireless security key. If you have not previously changed it, this can usually be found on the base of your wireless router.

If you are not asked for a key the first time you connect your device, then your wireless network is not secure. If you are required to provide a key then communication between your device and the wireless router will be encrypted. However, your wireless router may not be using the strongest encryption method available. Advanced method. This method will require you to know the wireless router’s IP address, and the administrator’s username and password. Open your browser and enter the router’s IP address into the address bar (something like 1. You may need to refer to your user guide for more information.

When prompted, enter the administrator’s username and password. Your router settings will allow you to find out whether your connection is already secured and will let you choose a more secure password.

You will also be able to change the administrator’s password. How do I secure my network? The following tips will help you to use your Wi- Fi more securely and to protect your personal information. Change the wireless network’s default name. A Service Set Identifier (SSID) is a name used so you can identify your network.

You should change the network name from the router’s default. This can make it harder for anyone to identify the manufacturer of your router and guess its default settings.

Use encryption. Encryption scrambles messages sent over wireless networks so that they cannot be read easily. If your network is not encrypted, enable encryption on the wireless security settings page of your wireless router. There are different forms of encryption, but we suggest that you use the Wi- Fi Protected Access II (WPA2) version because it is stronger than other versions such as Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and WPA.

On some devices, the encryption method in use will be displayed alongside the name of your wireless network name when you try to connect. Choose a strong password. Change your password from a default supplied with the router.

Make sure you use a password which is easy for you to remember but would be difficult for a stranger to guess, and preferably something with a combination of letters and numbers. Avoid using something obvious such as the name of your street. Hide your network IDA router broadcasts its SSID to anyone within range. You can alter the router settings to not broadcast the SSID and therefore avoid alerting hackers to the network’s existence. Check that your device does not auto- connect to Wi- Fi signals. If your device is set to automatically connect to available open Wi- Fi networks, then you run the risk of automatically connecting to unknown and potentially dangerous networks.

You should switch off auto- connect on your device settings page – refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for more details.