How to Stop Wireless Intruders

A wireless network could leave you vulnerable to hackers.

You could be putting your data at risk from hackers if you use a wireless network. Anybody could have access to files on your computer or use your bandwidth to download files illegally if your network is not secure. It's not too difficult to protect your wireless network from intruders, so don't risk being hacked when a few simple steps is all it takes to stay protected.

Instructions

1. Set up Wireless Protected Access (WPA) on your router. WPA encrypts data sent via the wireless connection and only permits connections from devices that know the WPA security key. The router must be configured to use WPA encryption and a key must be entered. The key should consist of random numbers and characters and should be at least twenty characters in length. Write down the key, since each computer that needs to access the router must provide the WPA key when the connection is first configured.

2. Disable your router from broadcasting the name of your wireless network or Service Set Identifier (SSID) and be sure to change the default SSID name. Each router is given a default identifier by the manufacturer and the same identifier may be given to each model of router manufactured by that company. Give your router a unique name that only you or authorized people know. Disable the router from broadcasting this name, since software used by hackers can listen for these broadcasts and can attempt to connect to your wireless network.

3. Find the Media Access Control (MAC) -- or hardware address -- of the computers that are allowed to access your wireless network. Click "Start" and "Run," then type "Cmd" to open the command line window. Type "Ipconfig/all" at the command prompt and press "Enter." Look for the line that says "Physical Address." This is the MAC address for your computer. Write this down and add it to the allowed MAC addresses on your router's configuration screen.

4. Install a firewall program on each computer in your network. A hacker will be able to access your files and steal your data if he or she manages to bypass the security features of your router and there's not a firewall on your PC. A firewall on each computer on the network will limit what a hacker can do.

5. Spot wireless intruders using Intrusion Detection Software (IDS), which monitors your network for unauthorized connections or suspicious network usage. Products such as AirSnare, Snort Wireless and WIDZ are free to use and analyze network data to spot intruders. Intruders can then be sent a message to warn them that they are not permitted to use your network or they can be disconnected.

References

• BBC: How to Secure Your Wireless Network
• Network Computing: Six Ways To Protect Your Wireless Network
• Watch Guard: Stopping Wi-Fi Intruders
• Microsoft: WPA Wireless Security for Home Networks
• Symantec: Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems