Linksys home network problems

| I recommend diceware words (link in wikis below):

Which link?

Oh wait, you're one of those people that likes to send people on wild goose chases.

| A "strong passphrase" is one that you can't remember.

I have a 27 character mixed case passphrase memorized. Does this mean it is not strong?

| To those of us of a certain age, "WPA" stands for "Works Progress | Administration", the makework program set up by Franklin Roosevelt to combat | the effects of the Great Herbert Clark Hoover Republican Depression of the | 1930s. Unemployed laborers fixed roads, planted trees, spruced up national | parks, etc. Unemployed mathematicians were put to work calculating logarithms | by hand. Until the late 1950s, when computers started taking over such | calculations, the "WPA tables" were considered the most accurate and reliable | tables of logarithms ever published.

Sounds like something we need today. But I guess we will have to wait until there's a change in the White House, again.

On Sun, 06 Aug 2006 20:49:49 GMT Duane Arnold wrote: | Robert Coe wrote: |> To those of us of a certain age, "WPA" stands for "Works Progress |> Administration", the makework program set up by Franklin Roosevelt | | You shouldn't put the word *us* in there. You may be the only one.

Some of *us* were actually awake and paying attention in history class.

On 7 Aug 2006 10:04:25 -0700, "Amanda" wrote in :

I misspoke -- that actually refers to a password made up of two (and only two) diceware words joined by a special character, which could even be as short as only 3 characters, on average about 9 characters, and might have to be truncated to 8 characters, since that's a not uncommon limit. Such short passwords are vulnerable to brute force attack, and should only be used if the system limits the number of bad authentication attempts. Otherwise the password should be longer and/or more random.

OK, OK. :)

There are two different security issues:

1. Wireless security. His laptop might well have high security, but when you give him your key, there's a risk that he might inadvertently give it to someone else. There are a number of ways to deal with this:

(a) Change your passphrase after he leaves. This is the least you should do.

(b) Use a hotspot-type router with different security zones, putting him in a guest zone. Unfortunately, commercial hotspot routers are typically much more expensive than commodity routers, which is why I recommended the alternative of running third-party firmware in a Linksys WRT54GL.

(c) Use external RADIUS authentication on your WLAN. Radiuz is a free service that I haven't used myself but reportedly works well. You can give create a special account for your guest, and delete it when he leaves. This also works well with 1(b) above.

1. LAN security. Even if he's a good fellow that won't misuse access to computers on your LAN/WLAN, his computer might be unknowingly infected with malware (virus, trojan, spyware) that could. Again, there are a number of ways to deal with this:

(a) Secure your LAN. What to do is covered in the How To wiki below. This is the least you should do.

(b) Use a hotspot-type router with different security zones, putting him in a guest zone that can only access the Internet. See 1(b) above.

The solution I most often recommend to those on a tight budget is third-party firmware in a Linksys WRT54GL, with either tinyPEAP or Radiuz (1(c)).

It is supported in some models, but poorly or not at all in other models.

"L" is presumed to stand for Linux, the free open source operating system used in some models of the WRT54G.

See for more info.

I kind of though oyu emant for the psw made up of two dice words joined by a special character. If I put a speical character in my own psw, would it be the same as using 2 dice words? Of cousre, I will get the other type ..in time.

:)-

Okay.

So I'll need a new router?

He is causing me more work. He needs to leave:)-

god, lots of work. Thanks though. I will do it in time. For now, I'll tell him to access the neighbor's weirless network. I have so many other things to be doing:)-

This seems the easiest or fastest or least amount of work, right? Btw, if I give access key or no security on my wireless router, he can see my hard drive, right? That's what I understood but when I asked him a while back, he said "No". Did he lie?

How do I find out whether mine is supported or not? Only by downloadign ther sw and putting it?

I see. So without "L" in the model, if I have a PC with Linux, I won't be a able to go online via the Linux box, do I? If so, I am "p***ed" because the guy who suggested me to buy this router 2 years ago knew that I was planning toput linux on the PC I was building - with minmum stuff - but I put XP instead and gave it to my sister's to keep as a spare visiting family members.

Since I didn't buy a static IP address from ISP, I guess it would be dynamic.

John Navas wrote: [.]

BTW, what I'll type it in for him instead of giving it to him. I'll definitely change after he leaves.

On 7 Aug 2006 17:38:23 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@ipal.net wrote in :

Click Search on any of the wiki pages.

Oh wait, you childishly presume to tell other people what to do even when they spend a great deal of time and energy helping others instead of doing so yourself.

On 7 Aug 2006 11:18:07 -0700, "Amanda" wrote in :

In general, adding a special character will significantly improve a password, but how good it will get depends of how good it was in the first place. For example, "amanda$" isn't a good password. ;)

Why not just start using Password Safe now?

You could sell your old one on eBay, but this all depends on how you feel about security. You might feel that securing your LAN is sufficient. He will, after all, have physical access.

Men tend to do that. ;)

Other options:

• Let him cable to your broadband from time to time with your LAN disconnected.

• Let him use a guest account on your computer to browse the Internet, check email, etc.

• His own wireless Internet access from his cellular carrier.

Pretty much, and it's also the most secure.

He can see it if and only if you have file sharing enabled. Verifying that file sharing is either off or secured is one of the key steps in securing your LAN. Likewise personal firewall.

To make sure file sharing is completely off: Start -> Control Panel -> Network Connection -> right-click on network adapter -> select Properties -> UNcheck item File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks -> click OK. Follow steps again to check it.

You may have file sharing turned off.

Check your Linksys version against the list of supported products. Which version do you have? See the index at .

Not to worry. The "L" just means the Linksys box is running a version of Linux (likewise used in third-party firmware). That has nothing to do with computers connecting to the box. They can be Windows, Linux, Mac, whatever.

The good news is that your router is so old that it's likely to be able to run third-party firmware.

On 7 Aug 2006 11:27:03 -0700, "Amanda" wrote in :

OK, but it will still be saved on his computer, and a malware keystroke logger could capture it in the clear as you typed it in. These are some of the reasons that a single shared password isn't a good idea. If your Linksys supports WPA Enterprise, consider switching to Radiuz, which is pretty simple and easy. That way you can give him a unique password that you can expire when he leaves.

I have WPA RADIUS option. Is that the same thing as what you are saying? After I saided that if put the psw, I thought of another idea. If he asks, I'll just give him the modem, and let him connect directly to it. I don't even care if he feels offended because he has made me mad about something.

I never use my name. I use words from my native langauge combined with digits.

Plan to.

I am not worried about security with him but sm ocncern baout virus.

But he is not my bf.

Yup.

I think he just check his work mail. He is here only sleep and his time is up after tomorrow night since a friend of mine is visiting me.

Hey, he does have that. He should use that.

Glad to hear that.

I don't have it enabled.

Thanks.

More like never turned on.

Great.

On 7 Aug 2006 15:12:20 -0700, "Amanda" wrote in :

So no offsetting benefits. Bummer. :)

Well, there you go!

Lucky you: fully supported by third-party firmware.

On 7 Aug 2006 14:58:54 -0700, "Amanda" wrote in :

Yep. Just:

1. Register a free Radiuz account
2. Get email and validate the account.
3. Follow the instructions to configure your router.
4. Follow the instructions to configure your own computer.
5. Have your guest register with Radiuz.
6. Use Radiuz website to invite your guest.
7. Use Radiuz website to monitor his usage.
8. Use Radiuz website to cancel your guest when he's left.

"Hell hath no fury..." :)

Lots of wokr but good learning. Great! I'll do it on my PC - needs to put a new hard drive first but been busy.

Btw, what will happen if the guest account ifs left open so that future guest can use it. I am thinking for my oldest sister. She won't learn to monitor and all that and I can't be doing that for her but I can set open guest accounts for her. Well only when I have time. Oh, wait, her router is Motorola SGB 940 from Star stream ISP.

Nah, what made me mad was that he asked me to say for a week between moving but now, he is acting like he wants to stay longer such that he wants to come back after my other friend leaves - he asked me how long my friend will stay. I got my friend postponed his trip for a few days already visiting me so that he gets his 1 week and now that I told him that my friend is from Bay Area, he poped the question as if he can stay here for more days. The thing is his son with down-syndrome will be wih him soon - the boy is with the mother and other siblings in Bay Area for the summer - and he needs to get a place ready instead of putting me in a position where I will have to keep the son too because he doesn't have a place ready. I know that my house is big and nice for his son but it's not right for him to be taking advantage on me. He needs to be diligent about getting an apartment. After all, he said "one week" and one week is up. So it' s not my fury. I am a very reasonable person:)- he is going to use internet form his cellular phone carrier cus I am not going open a guest account for him judt for 2 days. I will open and keep one handy so that in the future, if any friend who visits me want to access internet, I'll let them use that one.

Thanks for all the help. Btw, what would be the best approach for non-technical person (non IT person) to learn to be able to do this type of security thing on their laptop at their private workplace, a jewelry store. Is that possible at all for people who only knows how to use internet and not much more?

He's being selfish taking advanatge on my kindess. See my other posts why I feel like it's *work*.

Great.

On 7 Aug 2006 18:19:29 -0700, "Amanda" wrote in :

Poor security practice -- each machine should have its own account -- so better to delete his account, and create a new account.

Better to create them as you need them.

There are lots of guides, but really learning security is hard.

On 7 Aug 2006 17:44:33 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@ipal.net wrote: : On Sun, 06 Aug 2006 20:49:49 GMT Duane Arnold wrote: : | Robert Coe wrote: : |> To those of us of a certain age, "WPA" stands for "Works Progress : |> Administration", the makework program set up by Franklin Roosevelt : | : | You shouldn't put the word *us* in there. You may be the only one. : : Some of *us* were actually awake and paying attention in history class.

Thanks, Phil! ;^) In the interest of full disclosure, though, I have to admit that I do remember when Franklin Roosevelt was president. But the WPA was a couple of years before my time! :^)