The Network Security. Org

WiFi security dos and donts

We should all by now know that Wi-Fi is by default inherently insecure - it?s tantamount to dangling a network cable out of your window with a prominent ?Help Yourself? label attached to it. The earliest attempt at Wi-Fi security, WEP (wired equivalent protocol), proved deeply flawed and very easy to hack. WPA (wireless protected access) and in particular WPA2 (which features near-unbreakable AES encryption) has gone a long way to rectifying this glaring defect.

Even so, many wireless networks remain unprotected. Here are some dos and don'ts.

Wi-Fi security dos
Because so many wireless networks aren?t protected, it?s absolutely essential to change all the default security settings on your access point. So, change the SSID (service set identifier or network name) on your router/access point to anything but Netgear or Linksys.

The default SSIDs of commonly available hardware are well known to hackers. Your ideal SSID should not contain information that would give away your company name or location. Something bland or innocuous is best.

You should also change the administrator password, too. Hackers know the default passwords for all of the major brands of hardware and with your password could easily remotely reconfigure your AP. Techworld.com - Wi-Fi security dos and don'ts

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