Security free networking

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The issue of wireless security has once again made news after a couple in Britain were recently cautioned for accessing a wireless network without the owner’s permission.

Are people leaving themselves open to hackers and how are users to prevent unauthorised access to their personal wireless network? The long and short of it is that your wireless network is as safe and secure as you make it – same as your home. However, there are always opportunists who will take advantage of an open network – just as there are opportunistic thieves who will take advantage of an open front door.
Many people do not secure their network or bother to hide their SSID (Service Set Identifier, or the public name of a wireless network) be it out of ignorance or because of the perceived complexity of the process.

The advice from comms hardware manufacturer Belkin is that network owners should take responsibility for their network security and at the very least that users should hide their SSID. Belkin has made security a priority, and the firm’s routers ship with WPA and WEP encryption. There is also what the manufacturer describes as a clear walk through in the set-up guides and a technical support phone number for users to get help in enabling appropriate security. The front panel of Belkin’s N range of wireless routers features a universally recognised icon to indicate if the router security is on or off.

How to tell if your network is being accessed? The most likely indicators would be a noticeable drop in speed, and traffic on the router when not using the network. Check the router client list; additional and perhaps unauthorised users may be visible. Users should not take the risk of illegal activity being conducted over their wireless network. It is a legal can of worms and there have been no cases on which to set precedent by. Follow these simple steps to keep  control of your wireless network:

• Name your network during set-up (something specific to you, not the vendors default name)
• Check the box that hides the SSID
• Enable WEP or WPA encryption and set a pass key that only you know – then write it down and keep it safe; treat it like your front door key.

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