The Ultimate Wireless Guide

Securing Your Network: Five Common Wi-Fi Security Mistakes

If the statistics are true, about four of every five people who have a wireless network at home don't turn on any of the security features. Wi-Fi routers ship from the factory with their security turned off by default to ease the initial setup of the device, but that doesn't mean you should leave it in that mode forever.

Enabling security can take a little care, however, and even PC World editors goof it up sometimes. Here are some of the mistakes I've made. Don't repeat them.

Goof 1: Not changing the factory password. While setting up my first wireless router, I forgot to change the administrator password from the factory default. One day I discovered that someone else had logged in to the router (using the default password) and changed my settings, giving them free access. THE MORAL: Always change the router password from the default.

Goof 2: Not enabling encryption. If you don't enable encryption, your network is broadcasting your passwords and e-mail messages to anyone in range who cares to intercept them using free sniffer software like AirSnort (airsnort.shmoo.com), which can capture and analyze wireless data. THE MORAL: Unless you don't care who reads your e-mail, turn encryption on.

Goof 3: Not checking the security. Last spring my neighbor bought a Wi-Fi router, connected it to his broadband connection and printer, and merrily moved on to other things. Months later he awoke one morning to find his printer had mysteriously printed the page from his Wi-Fi router's manual that explained how to turn on the security settings. Later, his neighbor admitted to accessing his network by mistake, discovering the lack of security, and printing the page to the insecure network's printer as a not-so-subtle hint. THE MORAL: If you are concerned about how secure your network is, don't assume it is secure. Ask a knowledgeable friend to check it for you.

Goof 4: Overzealous security settings. Every wireless network card has a hardware (MAC) address that a Wi-Fi router can use to control which computers are permitted to connect to the network. One day I decided to turn on MAC filtering, and I dutifully added the address of every computer to be linked to the MAC filtering list--all except that of the PC I was using. I had locked myself out of my own network, the Wi-Fi equivalent of locking your car keys in the trunk. THE MORAL: Apply security settings with care, and thoroughly review them before you apply them.

Goof 5: Letting anyone access my network. I was the first on my block to have a wireless network, and I advertised that fact by setting the network name to "Open Access." Unfortunately, some nearby freeloader decided it was an open invitation to use my bandwidth to download huge amounts of pornography, slowing my network to a crawl. Now I've changed the SSID to my e-mail address; if anyone wants access, they have to e-mail me for permission first. THE MORAL: If your ISP allows it, going wireless makes sharing your connection easy, but people may abuse it if you leave it wide open.

Andrew Brandt