Why my wireless capable desktop didn't get on to my wireless network and got onto my beighbor's

Many home user networks are unprotected. However, some home users have their network setup that way so it can be shared by others, not many, but some do it. The vast majority are unprotected wireless networks and they don't even know it.

If your person connects to an un-secured network, along with others, and it has no protection or security implemented with the O/S, then it's open to being compromised. The malware with back doors Trojans and whatnot can populate itself to your person's machine, circumvent the personal FW, AV and anything else it can get past, including the O/S.

No, your machine can be compromised in other ways, not including shares.

Long

Short You should try to secure the O/S has much as possible. You should try to practice safe-hex, which allowing someone to not connect to your network connecting to some other network, with the possibility of connecting to your network is NOT practicing safe-hex.

[..]

What???

Does "allowing someone to NOT connect to my network" means I should do something to prevent others form connecting to my network?

If my relative were to connect to my network, I would put the key for him/her.

How do I prevent a laptop at my place from automatically connecting to a neighbor's network?

My concern is that my family member would not know the difference and I don't want to be a watch dog and ven if I explain to them they would rather ignore it. Then, sooner or later, their computer is messed up. Not that they come here all the time but I'd rather they do instead of me going to their place to install SWs in their laptop. Both of my older brother and sister's laptop needs anti virus protection. If they bring it, I will put it for them.

Will read.

"mimi" hath wroth:

No. It's because your neighbors wireless router has encryption disabled.

As long as the Windoze Firewall, or other software firewall is properly configured, your relatives are safe. Having print and file sharing enabled is a potential problem. Worms look for open shares and will drop files named "dir.com" or "setup.com" into the open share directories. They can't be run by the remote attacker, but your relatives can be tricked into running them by accident. I suggest disabling write permission on open shares. If your "My Documents" directory is shared (as it is by default in XP), then all the juicy incriminating evidence that most people save in "My Documents" can be downloaded by the neighbor for use as later blackmail and such. Downloaded bank and credit card statements are also lots of fun to read.

Turning off the file sharing exception in the Windoze Firewall is good enough to block any incoming attempts at sharing. Turning off Windoze file sharing is a bit extreme and un-necessary. Setting share permissions to read-only is marginal. Setting a password on a shared directory is good. Encrypting files will also help, but again might be overkill.

That means you got someone that comes to your house and wants to connect to your wireless network, only to connect to another network, then you allow them to connect to your network and you know this is a possibility.

If you don't try to prevent the situation upfront and something leads to a compromise of the network, a machine or machines on the network, then who's fault is it? You're the one who has control of the whole situation, which is not practicing safe-hex if you allow it to happen.

Well do it and point it out to them what network is what. They are not stupid.

If it's the XP O/S, which most likely it is, then you set the *Preferred Network to connect to* in advance via the O/S.

You're kidding here are you not? You're the one that must prevent it and you do it by any means necessary, like explaining the situation to them.

There is no way I would let any machine connect to a wired or wireless network, knowing that the machine had not been running an AV. It's a strong possibly that the machine has already been compromised.

You should read this too.

It's because you trusted in bill gates and offered him your money.

mimi wrote: