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Wireless Connections |
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Secure your wireless connections. Wireless is great. It allows you to access the
Internet from anywhere within range of your wireless access point (WAP). An unsecured
WAP also allows anyone within range of your WAP access to your Internet connection,
access to your network, and the ability to listen in on any conversations your PC
has while using wireless. The first step in securing your WAP is to change its default
password. Choose a strong password that will be difficult for someone to guess.
Next, change the default SSID and disable broadcasting of the SSID. The SSID is
the name that your computer uses to identify and connect to your WAP. Only PCs that
know your WAP’s SSID will be able to use it. Next, enable wireless encryption. This
will encrypt all communication between your PC and your WAP. Consult your user manual
to choose the level of encryption that is best for you. This step will prevent others
from listening to conversations between your PC and your WAP and further prevent
someone from connecting to your WAP because now they will also need to know the
secret encryption key to communicate with your WAP. Lastly, enter the MAC address
of each wireless network card you want to allow access your WAP. Each network card
is given a unique MAC address. This step will allow you to limit access to the PCs
of your choice. If you are unable to locate the MAC address of your wireless network
card, the web interface of your WAP should list the MAC address of all PCs that
are currently connected. Even after all of this your WAP is still not 100% secure.
Wireless encryption can be cracked, hidden SSIDs can be discovered, and MAC addresses
can be forged. This makes it important to change your wireless encryption key and
SSID on a regular basis. |
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Identity Theft |
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Surf Safe Menu |
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