RE: home wireless router good practices for security

shankarnarayan.d_at_netsol.co.in
Date: 12/31/03

  • Next message: Administrator: "Re: Local Administrators" 
    To: securityfocus@delahunty.com, security-basics@securityfocus.com
Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2003 10:50:18 +0530

    -----Original Message-----
    From: Steve [mailto:securityfocus@delahunty.com]
    Sent: Wednesday, December 31, 2003 12:03 AM
    To: security-basics@securityfocus.com
    Subject: home wireless router good practices for security

    So I went out and purchased a wireless router (Linksys 802.11b) for home
    since it was so inexpensive and actually less cost than the wireless access
    points I was trying to get via eBay. Got it home, installed my wireless
    network card (SMC), powered on the router, attached it to a port on my other
    wired linksys router, and boom it worked great. Then about 5 minutes after
    I sent an instant message to my neighbor (fellow IT friend) he was on my
    network. So I took the steps that Linksys recommends below, seems good (to
    me).
        Change the default SSID
        Disable SSID Broadcasts
        Change the default password for the Administrator account
        Enable WEP 128-bit Encryption
    Linksys also recommends these other measures, I have not implemented:
        Enable MAC Address Filtering
        Change the SSID periodically
        Change the WEP encryption keys periodically.

    My Questions:

    1) Anyone know how much enabling 128-bit encryption will hurt my wireless
    performance?

    Answers: We've tried this on a Cisco Aironet, Intel cards and Orinoco cards
    - it is about 15% - the worst being 20%. But please remember Wireless
    Bandwidths are specified 11Mbps, but you land up with a throughput
    (throughput = Bandwidth - Overheads) of 7 to 8Mbps. However, if you are
    sitting around a microwave oven or such things don't expect a good
    throughput as it is already reduced because of the microwave.

    2) Does setting the SSID for my wireless NIC then keep me from getting onto
    other wireless networks like when traveling? I ask since that setting was
    set to ANY before I changed it to the SSID that I set for my wireless
    router.

    Answers: ANY "generally" permits you to log onto any Wireless Network with
    any SSID. "Generally speaking" changing the SSID should help you from
    getting onto other networks. But if you really wanted, there are some simple
    tools that can permit you to easily link up to insecure networks and some so
    called secure networks

    3) What else should I really do to protect my home network?

    Answers: Currently, you are pretty much safe when you implement WEP and all
    the steps you have taken. As far as the popularity charts of WEP as an
    encryption mechanism are concerned, they aren't very great simply because a
    determined hacker can break through WEP using available tools. But for
    someone to do this (s)he would require serious reasons to go through all the
    trouble and break into your Network. Just to make it that wee bit more
    difficult, make sure that you don't put an easy combination on your WEP
    keys/ SSID - just in case someone tries to guess the key/SSID

    So it is better that you keep changing the keys, passwords and SSID. MAC
    filtering is a pretty decent way to keep most intruders out, but there are
    software's that can spoof a MAC address.

    If you are paranoid, some AP's and Wireless equipment now come with WPA
    (Wi-Fi Protected Access) that can be enabled in combination with Pre-shared
    keys for home use. Try this out. Otherwise, you are pretty much OK unless
    you've really got some really precious stuff on that computer of yours that
    all the hackers are gonna be after

    Happy Wireless-ing

    Shankarnarayan D

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