Re: Question about Wireless Security

Just when WPA was lookin' good...
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,113340,00.asp
excerpt: "The problems with WPA center on the use of Pre-Shared Keys (PSKs)"

BT

"S.Lewis" <stew1960@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:7srFf.23408$3m4.5227@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Von Fourche" <Monaco7876@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:AfrFf.1711$UF1.1099@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I'm a newbie to wireless (less than one day) and I have a security
question about the Linksys WRT54G Wireless Router/Firewall.

On the Advanced Wireless Settings screen there is a choice for
Authentication Type: Auto or Shared Key. Auto is the default setting.
This is what the guide says about Auto: "The default is set to Auto, which
allows either Open System or Shared Key authentication to be used. For
Open System authentication, the sender and the recipient do NOT use a WEP
for authentication."

Does this mean what I think it means? If I set it to Auto then anybody
who can find my SSID can hook up to my connection? What if I'm also
running WEP or WPA, if I choose "Auto" does that mean people still do not
need a key? If this is so then why is the default set to "Auto"?


Set the router up WPA PSK with the SSID broadcast disabled. Do this after
verifying the systems on your network are all connected.

You could further set up MAC address filtering if you really wanted to be
picky.

This will create three obstacles for any casual drive-by intruder:

1) without broadcast, your network won't be seen by a guy driving around
with his laptop.

2) even if someone could located it, they'll still have to have your WPA PSK
pass phrase.

3) even if they did that, their MAC address on their system shouldn't get by
the MAC filter.


In short, you'll be plenty safe unless someone exceptionally bright is out
to specifically target you and crack your network, which I suspect is highly
unlikely, unless you're Jack Bauer.

hth

Stew






.

Relevant Pages

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