How to Break a Security-Enabled Network

For security, change your router password and the network name.

Your wireless network may not be as secure as you think. Even if you password it carefully, skilled hackers have an arsenal of tools for cracking your security. Wireless network security usually takes the form of Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) or WiFi Protected Access (WPA). WPA provides better protection, but the hardware costs more than small businesses and homeowners usually want to spend. Even with good security in place, hackers can sniff out information to get inside your firewall. By learning the techniques, you have a better chance to keep them out.

Instructions

1. Research the default password and network name assigned by the router manufacturer: Cisco's LinkSys, for example, has the default password "admin." If the user doesn't change the default setting, hackers can use the manufacturer settings to log into the system, then send or download material as if she were an authorized user.

2. Set up a passive network scanner close enough to the LAN to pick up transmissions from the network. If this "sniffing" process captures an unencrypted data transmission, the hacker can learn the network's Internet address and other useful intel. If the network runs WEP encryption protocols, the hacker can still crack the encryption if the sniffer collects enough data packets.

3. Stage an "evil twin attack." To do this, the hacker has to learn enough about the system that she can fake what appears to be a legitimate Internet address that the network deals with. With this knowledge, she can create a duplicate signal stronger than that from the real address, gain access to the network and capture even more traffic to analyze.

4. Spoof the network. Once a hacker has enough information to gain access ot the network, he can construct what looks like a legitimate data packet the network will accept. Once it passes the firewall, the spoof material can implant a virus or spyware.

Tips & Warnings

• Changing your router's password and the network's name is the minimum basic step to protect your system from hackers.

• To reduce the chance of hacking, use the best encryption you can afford.

• Networks connected by Ethernet cables have a higher security since there are no broadcasts for hackers to sniff out.

• Any password that's just a word out of the dictionary can be cracked fairly easily. Passwords that incorporate random letters, symbols or numbers provide greater security.

• Failure to protect your network can lead to the loss of sensitive business or personal information.

• If someone uses your network for illegal purposes, it will appear to anyone tracing the download that you're the guilty party.

References

• LinkSys By Cisco: How to Secure Your Network
• Wright State University: Hacking Techniques in Wireless Networks
• Tech Blorge: How WPA Wireless Networks Are Hacked and How to Protect Yourself

Resources

• Sans Info Security Reading Room: Wireless Access