Wireless Network Security

[Bill T.]

I have a Toshiba laptop that is connected to a wireless network in my home.
My concern is security for this computer. I have been reading alot of
articles on the internet concerning security, and most suggest several
things, one being encryption, The others are enabeling static ip address and
wireless mac address filtering. I contacted Verizon and asked them to help
me secure this connection to my laptop and they enabled WEP and assigned a
key. I then asked about the other two options mentioned above and they said
all i needed was WEP enabled. Finally my question: Is that enough? I would
appreciate some advice before calling Verizon back. Thank you

 

[Dwarf]

Hi Bill,

The most secure way of connecting to the Internet is via a wired connection
(usually, but not always, Ethernet). For people who connect via this method,
it is important that the wireless function is disabled. However, for some
people this is not convenient and so they use wireless instead. It is
important that if you use wireless that you have an encrypted connection.
There are a number of different encryption methods that are in common useage.
These are, from the oldest standard to the newest, WEP (Wired Equivalent
Privacy), WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) and WPA2. WPA2 is an upto date version
of WPA and, if your equipment supports this protocol, is the recommended
method of securing your connection. Of course, if your equipment only
supports WEP then you should still enable and use it as WEP is better than no
security at all. However, beginning in 2001, several serious weaknesses were
identified by cryptanalysts with the result that today a WEP connection can
be cracked with readily available software within minutes. I suggest that you
download the user manual for your router and if you can set up your system to
use the WPA2 protocol or highest protocol that your equipment supports.
Please note that you might have to have a direct wired connection to your
router whilst you do this - refer to the manual for full instructions.
Dwarf

 

[Barb Bowman]

WEP is not safe at all. It is easily cracked. You should use WPA2 or
at least WPA. If they do not support this on the router that they
supplied you with, ask them to swap it for a newer model that
supports the kind of security that you need.

I have a Toshiba laptop that is connected to a wireless network in my home.
My concern is security for this computer. I have been reading alot of
articles on the internet concerning security, and most suggest several
things, one being encryption, The others are enabeling static ip address and
wireless mac address filtering. I contacted Verizon and asked them to help
me secure this connection to my laptop and they enabled WEP and assigned a
key. I then asked about the other two options mentioned above and they said
all i needed was WEP enabled. Finally my question: Is that enough? I would
appreciate some advice before calling Verizon back. Thank you

--

Barb Bowman
MS Windows-MVP
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/meetexperts/bowman.mspx
http://blogs.digitalmediaphile.com/barb/

 

[Bill T.]

Thats funny, i just got off the phone with verizon and they said they only
have modems with WEP, nothing with WPA or better. Can you beleive that? Then
they said WEP is good security! This is my ISP telling me this! I guess i
will just have to go get a new one myself. Thanks anyway, Bill

 

[99]

Hi Dwarf,
Maybe you can help me. I have wireless network and can access anywhere in
the house with my Dell laptop. My brother is visiting from USA (also has a
Dell laptop) and needs to do some work. I gave him what I have printed out
as my network key but it keeps telling him incorrect security code. I setup
my laptop and can only assume the network key on the printout is the one I
used so cannot understand this problem. I cannot seem to find a way of
confirming what network key number I entered on my laptop in order to
wirelessly connect to the internet via my router. Can you or anyone else
help please?

 

[99]

Anyone out there able to help me? Thanks.

 

[Dwarf]

Hi 99,

First of all, you should have started a new thread with your query. That
said, you need to set up your brother's laptop by using the same method that
you initially used to set up yours. Are they identical? Do they both use the
same make of wireless receiver? If you have MAC filtering enabled on your
router, then temporarily turn it off. If your brother is now able to connect
and you want MAC filtering enabled, then you will need to add your brother's
MAC address to the permitted list in the router. Note that initial setup
might need to be made over a wired connection
Dwarf

 

[Barb Bowman]

Log into the router and check the passphrase there.

Hi Dwarf,
Maybe you can help me. I have wireless network and can access anywhere in
the house with my Dell laptop. My brother is visiting from USA (also has a
Dell laptop) and needs to do some work. I gave him what I have printed out
as my network key but it keeps telling him incorrect security code. I setup
my laptop and can only assume the network key on the printout is the one I
used so cannot understand this problem. I cannot seem to find a way of
confirming what network key number I entered on my laptop in order to
wirelessly connect to the internet via my router. Can you or anyone else
help please?

--

Barb Bowman
MS Windows-MVP
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/meetexperts/bowman.mspx
http://blogs.digitalmediaphile.com/barb/