by Patrick California

Created on: October 18, 2007

You notice a nondescript van parked across the street from your house. After seeing it three nights in a row, you become suspicious, and call the police. They discover a man using a laptop to download underage porn, using your wireless connection! You're horrified; as well you should be. Is there any way to protect yourself from that kind of intrusion?

As wireless technology increases in popularity, the risks have increased significantly. For businesses, the risks of data exposure are huge. For private users, the most common risk is that someone might park in front of your house and use your network. There are many technologies available to counteract wireless network intrusion, but currently no method is absolutely secure. The best strategy may be to combine a number of security measures.

There are three basic steps to take to secure your wireless network:

1. All wireless LAN devices need to be secured
2. All users of the wireless network need to be educated in wireless network security
3. All wireless networks need to be actively monitored for weaknesses and breaches

Securing your LAN device is the first and most important step. Many home networks use a basic wireless router, whose default settings will allow access to anyone with a wireless card. They also have a default password that will allow access into all the management functions of the router, including site logging! Be sure to read your user manual, and use the information below as a basic reference.

Secure Admin Privileges:
You need to secure the admin privileges by changing the username and password on your LAN device (wireless router). Most will have similar access. Connect to your LAN device using an Ethernet cable. Open a browser window and type the address of the LAN, usually an IP like 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. See your owner's manual for specifics. Once you connect, a password screen will come up. Enter the default username and password (usually admin, admin or admin, password) to access your device. One of the first options available under the security tab will be change username and password. Do this right away. Try to use a password that incorporates letters, numbers, and at least one symbol. Now you have secured your admin privileges.

Set up WEP encryption:
Under the security tab, you can set up WEP encryption. This encrypts the signal between your computer and the LAN device, making it harder for a hacker to access your network without the encryption key. Use the highest level of encryption

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