Basic question about wireless security

[Sheila Qwann]

I have a desktop pc & a laptop. I am using a Netgear WGR614v6 wireless router. Both PC's had been hard wired to the router w/wireless turned off, but I would like to use the laptop wirelessly. The desktop (which contains most of our sensitive info) will continue to be connected to the router by wire & have its wireless adapter turned OFF. I'm reading up on the very complicated subject (apparently anyway, if you're doing it for max security) of home wireless security, but I'd like to know, even if the wireless is WIDE OPEN, so long as the desktop is connected to the router by cable, will it remain secure? Not talking viruses, worms etc, I mean secure from outside access via the wireless connection.

THANKS!

Sheila

[PrntRhd]

If you have print and file sharing turned on allowing LAN access, opening the wireless will allow access via wireless to the wired PC files. This is exactly the same as wired sharing except WiFi radio goes beyond your building in almost all cases.

Do not turn the wireless on without securing the wireless connection, since then you are only basing your file security against outside access by Windows passwords which are now being broadcast in the clear with no protection. You also will be sharing an open router connection to the Internet for anyone in the vicinity.

Turning on wireless security encryption and using a long random passphrase for WPA will only allow wireless connection with those wireless PCs that have the correct passphrase entered. This should be adequate security depending on the wireless environment in your premises. Anyone who intercepts the WPA session wireless traffic will only see gibberish.

more here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi_Protected_Access

[Sheila Qwann]

Thanks for the reply. The desktop has XP home, the laptop XP pro. I have "File And Printer Sharing For Microsoft Networks" for the ethernet connection on the desktop off, & and it is also off for both the ethernet & the wireless connections on the laptop. I have changed the default SSID name to 13 random characters, have set the WPA passphrase to 14 random characters, & have changed the settings password 14 random characters. I also have wireless card access control turned on, with the laptop's MAC address as the only entry. The setting is a fairly sedate suburb, but you never know where someone might be be "wardriving" (who ARE these parasites/get a life !! :mad: ). I'd like to be as secure as possible; must be doing something right, because as it stands, not even I can get on the connection! I'll detail the situation tomorrow in a separate post.

Thank you again for your input!

Sheila

[Paul Komski]

Securing a wireless router can be done, as mentioned by turning on MAC address filtering and by using good encryption so that a password/passphrase must be used to decrypt. One other method to inhibit unauthorized access is to prevent the router from broadcasting its SID (http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/wirelessproducts/qt/disablessidcast.htm). Of course if anyone can hack through the router via the net and then via any wired or wireless connection to a PC then your system would, of course, remain compromised.

[yawningdog]

...Windows passwords which are now being broadcast in the clear with no protection
This is news to me. Can you explain further?

MAC filtering is not an effective security measure. Use it if you want, but trust it at your peril.

Not broadcasting your SSID is a good idea. I personally like to warn off potential hackers by giving my WLAN a particularly hostile name. (Currently it's "Private.F---Off!!")

You might also consider encrypting your sensitive data. That way, even if your logins and passwords are compromised, your encryption keys are still needed.

WPA encryption = good. WEP encryption = bad.

[PrntRhd]

yawningdog,
Perhaps my answer was not clear, fair enough, but I would always try to direct the correct answer to the OP first, so let me try again:

If you open the now enabled wireless with no security, all WiFi packets are broadcast with no security. If you go to any Internet sites or any other resource that uses passwords from the wireless laptop, the passwords and all data packets will be broadcast in the clear unless you type hpps to get a secure connection or unless a VPN secured connection is used. Any resource you access via the wireless is broadcast between the two PCs with no security, user sharing control does not matter in this case, the packets are open to sniffing.
Encryption of the wireless stops all the above.

The other area needing securing is access to the router configuration utility via wireless, & since you have a wired PC, turn off that wireless avenue of access. Change the password to the router configuration page to something other than the default. Document any changes so you can remember how to get into the page later.

Not broadcasting SSID is not really security since the transmitted packets contain the SSID information in the headers anyway, but if encrypted it does not matter. Changing the SSID to something unique allows you to know it is your network AP that is being accessed and not the neighbor's.

yd:
WPA encryption = good. WEP encryption = bad.
I could not agree more.

The advantage of creating a LAN is to allow the end users to share resources on the local network. Turning off print and file sharing increases security but stops the sharing of the resources. If you don't need to share files between the PCs, your current configuration will keep the wired PC files more secure.