Security question

Feb 25, 2007 11 Replies

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Jim 19 years ago

I use a linksys router and laptop. I currently have it set to not broadcast the SSID, WPA PSK, Mac filtering.

My primary intent is to protect the data on my computer. Does this really have that effect or does this just help prevent someone from hopping a free ride on my network? If that is all that I am accomplishing I can reduce the level of security.

The reason I ask is that I also have a work laptop and the geniuses with my company have configured it in such a way that I can't get it connected, at least with this level of security.I have been told that it should work setting it to WEP.

Jim

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Adair Witner 19 years ago

Turning off SSID broadcast and mac filtering arn't very good ways of securing a network. Mac addresses can be spoofed very easily and not broadcasting your SSID means that someone else will likely not see your using a channel and plop on top of you.

WEP is not very secure at all it can take someone with the right tools under

10 minutes to crack a wep key. WPA is much harder to crack and so long as you have a 7+ digit random (number, letters and Caps) shared key you're likely to be fine. It's not to say that mac filtering is a bad idea, if someone did get in they would again have a harder time but it would not take long for them to figure that out either.

Adair

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F8BOE 19 years ago

No.

Blank SSIDs are presented as "unknown" or blank with a MAC adress or a brand name.

Mac filtering is part of securing a network, and 128bits WEP keys should be changed every week; so if you want more security without having the possibility to have 256 or 512 bit WEP, WPA with a strong passphrase and a radius server is best.

Ciao @+

Adair Witner wrote:

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Zeppo 19 years ago

Jim, My wife has the same problem with her laptop. When using it at home we attach it via network cable into a port on our wireless router. Works fine and I do not have to compromise the security of my network.

Jon

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Jim 19 years ago

I appreciate the responses but maybe I haven't presented the question properly.

Does securing the network protect the network from access by outsiders or the data on computer from them or both?

Jim

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Pen 19 years ago

Both

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Johann Beretta 19 years ago

How do you figure? Securing a network does just that. It secures the network. It doesn't protect the data on the computers. If the network is breached there is no data protection.

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DanS 19 years ago

Johann Beretta wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

If the network is breached, then it is not secured.

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Rico 19 years ago

What of users on the network who are not authorized for certain files etc on various computers on the network?

fundamentalism, fundamentally wrong.

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Johann Beretta 19 years ago

Anything can be eventually breached.

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John Navas 19 years ago

On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 16:25:34 +0100, F8BOE wrote in :

Not really -- too easily spoofed to be of any real value.

WEP shouldn't be used at all.

Sure, but WPA-PSK with a strong passphrase is quite good enough for most people.

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John Navas 19 years ago

On Sun, 25 Feb 2007 13:17:42 -0600, "Jim" wrote in :

Bad, good, and bad, respectively.

No and yes.

WEP isn't secure.

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