Posted on 01/27/2013 10:23:07 AM PST by Signalman
I was viewing some of my neighbors' wi-fi connections on my tablet computer and noticed that most are using the outdated WEP network security standard. This was deemed to be insecure a decade ago and was replaced by the WPA and, later, the WPA2 security standard.
Someone in "listening range" of a wi-fi hotspot using the WEP encryption standard could, potentially, break into the network relatively easily and disrupt it.
Many internet service providers (ISP) still provide WEP as the default, but they are now required to also provide WPA.
So it is a good idea to insure that your current wi-fi security standard is WPA, WPA2 or WPA2/PSK. This can be done using the software provided by your ISP.
Dude
Wardriving went out with the 90’s. They can surf for free at Starbucks. I live on a mountain. No one is going to drive up here to use my internet connection which doesn’t even reach the street anyway.
Who is going to use my router? They would have to park in my driveway. I can’t even see another house in the summer.
it is still en vogue around here. Lots of Red Necks driving around using open and hackable wireless networks to download Movies and Music.
Parking lot at Starbucks is easier than parking my my driveway. There is no street parking here. I had to install another router just to reach the other side of the house.
Why take the chance when it is so easy to protect yourself?
Better to spend 5 minutes setting up a wpa-enabled password then 1 week trying to prove to the police that you had nothing to do with illegal stuff transiting your router.
I hear what you are saying, but really, save yourself a potential headache.
For the same reason I don’t lock my car keys in a safe at night to keep people from taking my car. The chances of me forgetting the safe combination are greater than my chances of someone taking my keys.
The nearest Starbucks to us is about a 2 hour drive. And Wardrivers usually have some very sensitive antennas which means they can grab your signal from much further away.
A buddy of mine built a DIY antenna for his wireless card and can pick up the McDonald's free wifi from several blocks away, yet when you use a normal laptop you can barely pickup the signal outside of the parking lot.
Most routers have a reset to factory default button on the back. If you forget the password, hit the reset. Anyway, it’s a free country...
Well, if they get past the router with packet-monitoring then good luck to them. :-)
Understood, but better than the rest. You still have to get the address of the prime wireless (its own) and that means you’ve been able to decrypt what it puts out anyway, right?
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