How secure is wireless networking really?

Wireless networking allows for the speedy deployment of local area networks in the home or office with little effort required to establish a network and provide Internet access quickly for all the computers needed. What many ignore, however, are the potential risks associated with wireless networking.

Because no cabling is required for connecting to a wireless network, it is possible for anyone in the network`s coverage area to connect. This could potentially grant them access to the files of the computers on the network or its Internet connection.

However, all wireless routers and access points on the market today have built-in security features which, if correctly understood, can allow one to secure the wireless network and prohibit unwanted access.

By being proactive about securing their wireless network, users can make use of the inherent security features of their wireless hardware to ensure no unwanted access is gained to the network and its resources.

Encryption is the first feature with which users should be familiar. Wireless access points and routers have built-in encryption that will make it more difficult for someone without the necessary password to gain access to the network.

By being proactive about securing their wireless network, users can make use of the inherent security features of their wireless hardware to ensure no unwanted access is gained to the network and its resources.

Andy Robb, technology specialist at Duxbury Networking

The most common form of encryption is called WEP and allows basic protection by limiting network access to those without a pre-set password. While this does afford a level of protection, it can still be compromised by hackers who know what they`re doing. Consequently, WEP should not be used on its own and, where possible, the superior encryption offered by WPA should be used.

WPA is not yet as common as WEP, although most new routers and access points do include the feature. WPA does what WEP does, only better. It is a stronger form of encryption and is less easily compromised. Also, if the router or AP does not support WPA currently, it is possible that this feature can be added with a firmware upgrade.

The next vital step in securing a wireless network is in changing the default administrator password on the router or AP.

Every wireless device has a default password that grants users full access to the administration panel. These default passwords are the same for all devices from a particular vendor and are easy to guess. Therefore, it is essential for this password to be changed to something less easily guessed or figured out.

With password and encryption in hand, a higher level of security is already provided; however, one of the best ways to ensure security is remove the network from the public eye altogether. This is achieved by disabling SSID broadcasting on the router or AP. Quite simply, the SSID is the name of the network and by stopping it from being broadcasted, users must specify it before being able to connect. This removes the network from the eyes of malicious individuals searching for a wireless network to exploit.

MAC filtering adds an extra layer of security to the wireless network. Every networking device, including desktops and laptops, has a unique identifying code, called a MAC address. By listing the MAC addresses of computers allowed to connect to the network and disallowing connection from machines not listed, the router or access point will deny access to unwanted users.

All of these features are easily enabled via the built-in management panels on the devices themselves. None of these solutions should be used in isolation. It is a case of the chain only being as strong as its weakest link; so WPA, MAC filtering and other techniques should be used in conjunction to ensure complete security.

Wireless network owners would also be advised to turn off wireless devices when they are not being used. It is also a good idea to isolate wireless network resources from the rest of the LAN, so that should someone gain access, they are presented with only limited network resources.

If these guidelines are followed it is possible to gain superior security for a wireless network and dissolve the threat of malicious parties wishing to gain access.