Vista - Setting up a Security on my Wireless Router

02-03-2008

On Sun, 03 Feb 2008 08:35:19 -0500, Hank Arnold (MVP) wrote:

Quote:

> Dustin Harper wrote:

Quote:

>> Previous post said WEP. Try WPA, it's a bit more secure, but still not
>> perfect. WEP is VERY easy to crack, WPA is more difficult, but not
>> impossible. Also, turn off the SSI broadcast on your router. Only the
>> die-hard people would find and/or hack into your setup.
>>

>
> Another thing that may help is to set the security so that only specific
> MAC addresses are allowed into the router.

MAC filtering is pretty much a waste of time when it comes to WiFi security
as spoofing a MAC address is a very trivial endeavor.
--
Paul Adare
MVP - Virtual Machines
http://www.identit.ca
No line available at 300 baud.

**duucfho** · 02-03-2008

Nothing is foolproof. If a dedicated person really wants to get in, they will. But, there are plenty of things you can do to keep out 99% of other Joe Schmoes. Some are harder to do than others, so do whatever you feel comfortable with:

Change the default username/password to access your router
Change the default IP address range. For example, I think linksys is almost always 192.168.1.xxx. You can change it to say 192.168.100.xxx
Enable WEP or WPA (WPA2 being more secure)
Enable MAC filtering to allow only your MAC addresses to connect
Restrict the number of DHCP clients to 3 (or however many devices you have) will help, since it will be harder for another computer to grab in IP address
Don't broadcast your SSID
Enable the integrated firewall in your router if available.

You should do all these from the wired desktop, in case you fudge a setting, you'll still be able to connect. And be ready to reset your router back to factory defaults if necessary...it happens.

02-03-2008

So is breaking WEP. But, for the average user with a nosey neighbor, it is
enough to get by. If you want more security, there are a lot more things
that can be done.

--
Dustin Harper
dharper@xxxxxx
http://www.VistaRIP.com | Vista Resource & Information Page

"Paul Adare" <pkadare@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:191s16asermoi$.1o76m46fnwphd$.dlg@xxxxxx

Quote:

> On Sun, 03 Feb 2008 08:35:19 -0500, Hank Arnold (MVP) wrote:
>

Quote:

>> Dustin Harper wrote:

Quote:

>>> Previous post said WEP. Try WPA, it's a bit more secure, but still not
>>> perfect. WEP is VERY easy to crack, WPA is more difficult, but not
>>> impossible. Also, turn off the SSI broadcast on your router. Only the
>>> die-hard people would find and/or hack into your setup.
>>>

>>
>> Another thing that may help is to set the security so that only specific
>> MAC addresses are allowed into the router.

>
> MAC filtering is pretty much a waste of time when it comes to WiFi
> security
> as spoofing a MAC address is a very trivial endeavor.
> --
> Paul Adare
> MVP - Virtual Machines
> http://www.identit.ca
> No line available at 300 baud.

02-03-2008	#11 (permalink)
Paul Adare n/a posts	Re: Setting up a Security on my Wireless Router On Sun, 03 Feb 2008 08:35:19 -0500, Hank Arnold (MVP) wrote: Quote: > Dustin Harper wrote: Quote: >> Previous post said WEP. Try WPA, it's a bit more secure, but still not >> perfect. WEP is VERY easy to crack, WPA is more difficult, but not >> impossible. Also, turn off the SSI broadcast on your router. Only the >> die-hard people would find and/or hack into your setup. >> > > Another thing that may help is to set the security so that only specific > MAC addresses are allowed into the router. MAC filtering is pretty much a waste of time when it comes to WiFi security as spoofing a MAC address is a very trivial endeavor. -- Paul Adare MVP - Virtual Machines http://www.identit.ca No line available at 300 baud.
My System Specs

02-03-2008	#12 (permalink)
duucfho Vista Enterprise 32-bit 13 posts	Re: Setting up a Security on my Wireless Router Nothing is foolproof. If a dedicated person really wants to get in, they will. But, there are plenty of things you can do to keep out 99% of other Joe Schmoes. Some are harder to do than others, so do whatever you feel comfortable with: Change the default username/password to access your router Change the default IP address range. For example, I think linksys is almost always 192.168.1.xxx. You can change it to say 192.168.100.xxx Enable WEP or WPA (WPA2 being more secure) Enable MAC filtering to allow only your MAC addresses to connect Restrict the number of DHCP clients to 3 (or however many devices you have) will help, since it will be harder for another computer to grab in IP address Don't broadcast your SSID Enable the integrated firewall in your router if available. You should do all these from the wired desktop, in case you fudge a setting, you'll still be able to connect. And be ready to reset your router back to factory defaults if necessary...it happens.
My System Specs

02-03-2008	#13 (permalink)
Dustin Harper n/a posts	Re: Setting up a Security on my Wireless Router So is breaking WEP. But, for the average user with a nosey neighbor, it is enough to get by. If you want more security, there are a lot more things that can be done. -- Dustin Harper dharper@xxxxxx http://www.VistaRIP.com \| Vista Resource & Information Page "Paul Adare" <pkadare@xxxxxx> wrote in message news:191s16asermoi$.1o76m46fnwphd$.dlg@xxxxxx Quote: > On Sun, 03 Feb 2008 08:35:19 -0500, Hank Arnold (MVP) wrote: > Quote: >> Dustin Harper wrote: Quote: >>> Previous post said WEP. Try WPA, it's a bit more secure, but still not >>> perfect. WEP is VERY easy to crack, WPA is more difficult, but not >>> impossible. Also, turn off the SSI broadcast on your router. Only the >>> die-hard people would find and/or hack into your setup. >>> >> >> Another thing that may help is to set the security so that only specific >> MAC addresses are allowed into the router. > > MAC filtering is pretty much a waste of time when it comes to WiFi > security > as spoofing a MAC address is a very trivial endeavor. > -- > Paul Adare > MVP - Virtual Machines > http://www.identit.ca > No line available at 300 baud.
My System Specs

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