Paranoia wi-fi question

[deepak]

We just installed our cable internets at our apartment today and I picked up a wireless router. Now my roomate's laptop isn't able to do WPA

Soooo, we're using WEP 128 bit right now. Now we're in a pretty nice building and when I use my wireless browser program to look for SSIDs I see about 15-20. Most are locked, one or two aren't. Which obviously means there are tons of wifi users in this building.

How paranoid should I be about people cracking our WEP? For what it's worth I only get on the internet about an hour at night, and he probably does the same. Neither of us leave our laptops running all the time; I might overnight or during the day if I'm downloading something but my desktop computer is connected by a wire, so it's pretty rare.

I plan on changing the WEP key every 5 days or something. Any other security measures we should take? Thanks

[postjack]

fuk dude, i crakt your wep like 5 mins after you had it up. i got all up in your mainframe w/ vrius in ur bios now, haha!! now u cant browse anymor musci.

[MrSlacker]

Turn on MAC filter. If there is 1-2 networks that are not protected, chances are that whoever wants to leech, will use that.

[grawk]

I'd make your roommate buy a usb wifi card that can do wpa.

We just installed our cable internets at our apartment today and I picked up a wireless router. Now my roomate's laptop isn't able to do WPA

Soooo, we're using WEP 128 bit right now. Now we're in a pretty nice building and when I use my wireless browser program to look for SSIDs I see about 15-20. Most are locked, one or two aren't. Which obviously means there are tons of wifi users in this building.

How paranoid should I be about people cracking our WEP? For what it's worth I only get on the internet about an hour at night, and he probably does the same. Neither of us leave our laptops running all the time; I might overnight or during the day if I'm downloading something but my desktop computer is connected by a wire, so it's pretty rare.

I plan on changing the WEP key every 5 days or something. Any other security measures we should take? Thanks

[deepak]

Turn on MAC filter. If there is 1-2 networks that are not protected, chances are that whoever wants to leech, will use that.

I will add the MAC filtering, completely forgot about that. As for the unlocked leeching thing, I wouldn't necessarily say they would since they might not be able to pick up those networks- I'm barely able to connect to either of them.

I'd make your roommate buy a usb wifi card that can do wpa.

He is using a USB wifi dongle, I'll have to look closer to see if it can do WPA. But the thing is a piece of crap :'(

[grawk]

I've got a couple of usb wifi cards if he's running windows. I can sell you one cheap.

[deepak]

I've got a couple of usb wifi cards if he's running windows. I can sell you one cheap.

I'll ask him.

How secure is WPA? I've read a lot about it when it was introduced, then sort of lost interest.

[grawk]

I'll ask him.

How secure is WPA? I've read a lot about it when it was introduced, then sort of lost interest.

Basically, it's secure enough.

[deepak]

Alright my laptop is able to do WPA and WPA-PSK. It's using Intel Pro/Wireless 2200BG built in.

[Mister X]

One other tip is:

Do not broadcast your SSID.

With that much other traffic it will be easier for noob wanna-be hackers to overlook your network altogether.

[MrSlacker]

Since we are on this topic. I guess I'll change my WPA to WPA2. Should I use WPA2 Personal or Enterprise?

[MrSlacker]

cool thanks!

glad I clicked this thread

[grawk]

Since we are on this topic. I guess I'll change my WPA to WPA2. Should I use WPA2 Personal or Enterprise?

You should definitely set it to enterprise. Of course, then you'll have to set up a radius server.

[Filburt]

WEP will pretty much just keep out people who are only willing to invest the effort required to get onto an unsecured network. Otherwise, someone will just run airsnort or something of that sort and break in.

I'd just make your roommate upgrade to something that can use WPA2. If you can't do that, use MAC filtering and don't broadcast your SSID, but really WPA2 is preferable.

[n_maher]

I love living in the boonies where there isn't a single person within range of my wireless network.

[hungrych]

Or in Princeton where everyone everywhere already has their own broadband.

Of course I can barely get a signal upstairs to my room, so I'm not very worried about people outside...

[deepak]

Both of us are now using WPA1. Thanks gents.

[tkam]

mac filtering is utterly useless, not broadcasting your ssid is slightly less useless. WPA2 would be best, but WPA is pretty decent.

[philodox]

How is mac filtering useless?

[tkam]

very easy to spoof mac addresses

[philodox]

Maybe, but is it easy to find out what the allowed addresses are? I can't really think of a simple way, but admittedly I'm no hax0r.

[grawk]

just watch traffic and see what addresses are using it.

[philodox]

I seriously doubt that anyone in my condo will make that much effort, but if so, all the power to them.

I think I have WPA or WPA2 setup as well in any case.

It really surprised me how many unsecured wireless networks there are in my section of the building when I originally set mine up. Usually when people come over with a Laptop I get them to just use one of those rather than bothering with setting them up to use mine.

[grawk]

Yah. That's why wpa is generally good enough. It's crackable, but why would anyone bother?

[MrSlacker]

I seriously doubt that anyone in my condo will make that much effort, but if so, all the power to them.

I think I have WPA or WPA2 setup as well in any case.

It really surprised me how many unsecured wireless networks there are in my section of the building when I originally set mine up. Usually when people come over with a Laptop I get them to just use one of those rather than bothering with setting them up to use mine.

haha! my uncle was having problems w/ his WiFi and I didn't have time to go over there and fix it. So I told him to connect to the non-passworded one