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just how secure do I need to be

Quick answer.

Dept of Homeland Security will protect you.

If there is any "real" danger, it's from kids and brats that wanna go exploring on your computers, or borrow your internet connection. This is where it's good to know your neighbors.

Think of it as a sport. There doesn't really need to be an objective.

Yes. No radio signal, no access.

Yes, but they don't do much with the information, especially if the access point is secured.

Actually, it's more prevalent in the suburban areas because kids have more time to attack your system. Much of the hacking relys on capturing a substantial amount of encrypted traffic and extracting the encryption key. Mobile users in urban areas don't normally have the luxury of a fixed location in which they can erect large antennas and spend days capturing and crunching data. Suburban kids do have that.

WEP 128 is usually sufficient to slow anyone down. WPA is much better. Make it a habit of changing your access point password and WEP/WPA keys at regular intervals.

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann
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jojo, look at your computer WiFi security as you would look at your home security, since they both contain valuable or personal items.

No encryption is like leaving your front door open. All passerby's may peek in or walk in.

WEP is like locking your front door and leaving the key under the door mat. This will keep honest people honest, but anyone who wants in will trivially find the key and walk in.

WPA (with a long, high entropy passphrase)is like the door on a bank vault. It will be far easier to break into your home and steal your computer, than it will be to crack the encryption.

jojo wrote:

Reply to
Pat Henry

Hi,

Just a quick question:

How secure do I need to be? I live in suburbia, and maybe (just maybe) the houses on either side of me could be in range of my wireless network. There are no houses behind me and the house in front of me is almost assuredly out of range.

I really don't understand hacking and such. Does someone have to be in range of my network to hack me? Do people drive around with laptops looking for people like me?

I can understand in an urban area, apartments and such....

Thanks, jojo

Reply to
jojo

Yes and no! There must be an radio signal to receive your WLAN. So the attacker has to be in range. But with a good antenna you can boost the signal and extend the range for more then a mile.

Yes, there are such people (like me... :-)).

Thomas

Reply to
Thomas Krüger

Taking a moment's reflection, jojo mused: | | Do people drive around with laptops looking for people like me?

If you've heard terms like "war driving" and "war chalking" ... this is what they are referring to. They are spin offs from the "phreaking" days of "war dialing." ;-)

Reply to
mhicaoidh

You sure? On a clear day up here in the mountains of Southern California, I can pick up wifi signals from AP's over 3 miles away, and that's with just a little buffalo omni directional antenna. No fancy yagi or parabolic hardware.

you sure that neighbor is out of range?

Reply to
Beretta

  1. Enough information where one could perform an identity theft. That means personal identification information, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, SSI number, telco credit card numbers for long distance, and the usual logins and passwords to online accounts.
  2. Takeover of your machine and turning it into a "zombie" for use in a DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack on other machines.
  3. Setup as a open relay for sending or relaying spam.
  4. Blackmail information.
  5. If a modem is still attached, having it dial an expensive 900 area code number setup for the purpose.
  6. Anything that can be used to break into other computers or networks.
Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

I honestly have the same question...

Just WHAT is on my computers that I would want to protect?

My personal financial data is kept on a single seperate computer not even connected to the internet or other machines ... I guess someone could Hack into my e-mail but honestly 90 percent of my e-mail is junk anyhow...and the 10 percent that is of value would be of no use to anyone else.. I mean who cares what the Grandchildren want for Christmas ...

As you may have guessed I am a retired old fart who has no info on any of my computers "that I feel" really needs to be hidden from hackers... Hell if the little old (older then me anyway) lady next door (200 foot away) wants to borrow my connection to surf the net...more power to her...

Bob Griffiths

Tue, 09 Nov 2004 18:07:43 GMT, "jojo" wrote:

Reply to
Bob G.

Hell if the little old (older then me anyway) lady next door (200 foot away) wants to borrow my connection to surf the net...more power to her...

Maybe she can even give us some tips on working out the wireless network bugs! ;-) jojo

Reply to
jojo

Taking a moment's reflection, Jeff Liebermann mused: | | 1. Enough information where one could perform an identity theft. | That means personal identification information, credit card numbers, | bank account numbers, SSI number, telco credit card numbers for long | distance, and the usual logins and passwords to online accounts. | | 2. Takeover of your machine and turning it into a "zombie" for use in | a DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack on other machines. | | 3. Setup as a open relay for sending or relaying spam. | | 4. Blackmail information. | | 5. If a modem is still attached, having it dial an expensive 900 area | code number setup for the purpose. | | 6. Anything that can be used to break into other computers or | networks.

You forgot making your computer a storage house for p*rn or pirated software.

Reply to
mhicaoidh

It's not what's on your computers. It's that pipe to the internet.. Say I wanted to spam...What better way to spam than using your connection?

Same goes for any types of illegal pornography downloading... When the feds come a knockin' it'll be on your door, not the guy who is stealing your internet connection.

Reply to
Beretta

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