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Wireless Networking, Convenience vs. Security.
By William Kapes
One of the most useful recent advances in computer technology is the proliferation of wireless networking. Wireless networking hardware has gotten cheaper and easier to use, putting it in the reach of small businesses and home networks. Wireless Networking, or Wi-Fi, support is built into almost all current laptops, most home routers come with wireless support, and the availability of public Wi-Fi has made connecting to the Internet from outside of the office easier than ever. All in all, Wi-Fi can be a huge boost for convenience and productivity.
However, like with many new technologies, there are aspects to wireless networking that most people are not aware of. The same ease of use features that allow you easily connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot also allow everyone else to connect. Now that could be something as innocent as a fellow computer user wanting to check email. But it could also be someone with less innocent intentions. Did you know that:
- Most business and home wireless networks are insecure by default, allowing anyone to connect to them and with the default passwords in place, allow those same users to make changes to the network?
- Most public hotspots are also insecure, allowing everyone connected to the same hotspot to view all network traffic between ALL the machines in the area, including yours?
- Most email traffic is sent as plain text, easily readable by anyone monitoring an insecure wireless network? This can often include your username and passwords!
That's the bad news. The good news is, with a few simple tips you can make your wireless network experience much safer and your information more secure.
The very first step to take to enable security on your home or business network is to enable encryption. Encryption scrambles the information travelling between your computer and network. Most wireless routers or access points allow you to set a few different wireless security protocols. The lowest form of security is called WEP, or Wired Equivalent Privacy. WEP has been around since the beginning of Wi-Fi and is widely supported by just about all hardware and software. Unfortunately it’s also not very secure. There are numerous tools and techniques to break WEP encryption, often in a very short time. Think of WEP encryption as you would the locks on most household bathrooms. Sure it'll keep someone from connecting to your network accidentally, but anyone with a little determination and a butter knife can walk right in. For true wireless security, enable WPA encryption. WPA, or WiFI Protected Access, uses much better encryption and can be treated as truly secure. There is even a new WPA2 protocol, however it is not widely supported on all hardware yet. Think of WPA as the kind of lock you have on your front door, and a deadbolt. Oh, and while you’re at it, change the default password on your router or access point. A quick Google search can provide you with the default settings for just about any make and model of networking equipment. It’s not much good setting up security if someone else can simply login and change it!
Second, use caution when on public wireless networks. Public hotspots have to run without security turned on, otherwise nobody would be able to connect to them. You can help keep your information secure while using these open networks with some basic precautions. If you are using webmail, use the secure login page. For most webmail providers, this can be accomplished simply by changing the address you use to get to the site. For Gmail for example, instead of going to http://mail.google.com, use https://mail.google.com. By adding the https prefix you are using a secure connection to the login page and all of your data is encrypted. Most mail providers have secure login pages available and it’s a very good idea to use them. If you are connecting to your corporate network from a public hotspot, you should be using a VPN, or Virtual Private Network. VPN's encrypt all the data travelling between your computer and the corporate network and are the most secure way to work while out of the office. Previously VPN's were only for large corporate networks. However, just like wireless networking is now available to just about everyone, so too is VPN technology. Contact us to find out if your network supports VPNs or to find out what it would take to allow remote access to your network.
At Desktop Valet we recommend using Sonicwall’s line of firewalls for true network security. Sonicwall firewalls provide excellent network security with built-in virus detection, intrusion prevention, and of course Sonicwall firewalls provide the latest in wireless security. Firewalls with wireless support provide WPA as well as an even more secure technology, WiFiSec, that allows for true enterprise class security and peace of mind. Contact us for information on how you can secure your network using a Sonicwall firewall or for a free security evaluation of your network.
So enjoy the benefits that wireless networking provides, but make sure you are keeping yourself and your data secure at the same time. Convenience vs. Security, there is a compromise, but a fairly small one.
William Kapes is a senior network engineer with Desktop Valet. He has been in the I.T. industry for over 6 years and can be reached at williamk@DesktopValet.com |
