Hello, I just purchased my first netowrking equipment, A Linksys Wireless B router, a Linksys Wireless B USB Adapter, and a Wireless Gaming adapter (for our play station 2)
The router is upstairs in our house mates room, there computer and PS2 are hard wired to the router where as mine is connected via the wireless USB adapter.
We are doing this it share an internet connection, what can I do or setting can I change to secure my computer so that it can access the web through the router but no files or anything else can be accessed?
I'm setting up the WEP encryption tomorrow for the wireless to help secure it.
Thanks!
Jeremy,
Here's a story about somebody's very stupid wireless neighbor. Don't expect all
wireless neighbors to be this stupid.
<
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2003/11/22/264890.html>.
The point is, you need to protect a wireless LAN with more precautions than just
the NAT firewall (wireless router).
Change the router management password, and disable remote (WAN) management.
Enable WEP / WPA. Use non-trivial (non-guessable) values for each. (No "My dog
has fleas").
Enable MAC filtering.
Change the subnet of your LAN - don't use the default.
Disable DHCP, and assign an address to each computer manually.
Install a software firewall on every computer connected to a wireless LAN. Put
manually assigned ip addresses in the Local (highly trusted) Zone. Open the
following ports for file sharing, only in the Local Zone: TCP 139, 445; UDP 137,
138, 445.
Don't disable SSID broadcast - some configurations require the SSID broadcast.
But change the SSID itself - to something that doesn't identify you, or the
equipment.
Enable the router activity log. Examine it regularly. Know what each
connection listed represents - you? a neighbor?.
Use non-trivial accounts and passwords on every computer connected to a wireless
LAN. Disable or delete Guest userid, if possible (XP Home is a bad choice
here). Rename Administrator, to a non-trivial value, and give it a non-trivial
password. Never use the Administrator renamed account for day to day
activities, only when intentionally doing administrative tasks.
Stay educated - know what the threats are. Newsgroups alt.internet.wireless and
microsoft.public.windows.networking,wireless are good places to start.
Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.
