Guide to Wireless Security – part 2 of 3

With so many threats to your PC and laptops through the wireless system, you must take strong measures to secure your wireless network.

What you can do to secure your wireless connection

Here is a step by step guide to help you secure your router and PC during set-up:

• Change the factory passwords – When you first set up your router, you must change the administrator password from the default password that is set by the manufacturer. Try and pick something that isn’t obvious – preferably try and combine letters, number and symbols.
• Different names – Ensure that the name you use for the router is not the same as your own name or any of those on the PC. Avoid names that can be easily guessed, such as children’s names, favourite football teams, etc. Also make sure that your router name is different from your password.
• Turn off desktop connections – If you don’t use them, switch them off!
• Do not store personal information – Keep any personal information such as bank account numbers, credit card details, etc, off your PC. That way if a hacker were to access your machine, the information they can use is limited.

Now here are some steps you can take to secure your wireless router:

• Change usernames/passwords – As above, change all manufacturer settings as soon as you turn the router on and don’t make your selections obvious.
• Close all ports on your router – turn off all ping responses if possible.
• Create a wireless DMZ – DMZ stand for de-militarised zone and basically places a firewall between the local area network and the wireless network. This will provide an extra layer of protection as long as you keep it active.
• Ensure your router has a WEP key – WEP stands for wired equivalent privacy and was the original encryption standard for wireless. WEP comes in different sizes – usually ranging from 128- to 256bit - the longer the better to keep out hackers. Change the WEP key frequently and ensure it is set to ‘shared key’ rather than ‘open system’.

Unfortunately, WEP has its limitations. As WEP keys are shared among all clients, a hacker only has to compromise a single key to gain access to the key for all users. There have also been programs released, which outline how to hack into a WEP system and so while WEP is certainly better than nothing you should seek alternatives where possible.