Securing Wireless Network

Steps on how to secure wireless network.

1. Change the router password

Change the router’s default password into a stronger one.

2. Turn off SSID broadcast

•Wireless router has service set identifier (SSID) name that allows clients to find and associate to it.
•Do not broadcast this (turned on by default for ease of use).
•Choose a random name and remember it.

3. Use WEP or WPA

Use encryption by using key.

Wireless network encryption standards:

•Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)
◦simple, effective and widely used but not a bulletproof encryption method
◦several key lengths, including 64, 128, 152, and 256 bits
◦also called 40 and 104 but they are the same as 64 and 128
◦encryption key remains the same unless it is changed

•Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)
◦newer, more sophisticated encryption and better protection than WEP
◦changes the secret key periodically and automatically
◦two versions of WPA: WPA and WPA2 (with AES)

4. Do not use ad-hoc networking

Wireless-enabled computer has two basic modes of communication

•infrastructure networking
◦connection between computers (local or external) is through router

•ad-hoc networking
◦direct connection without going through any router or devices e.g. for file sharing