Lock up your Wireless Connection

I thought I’d share something I learned in class yesterday. Well, I already knew how to do all of these things, but I didn’t think they’d all be necessary.

If you’ve got Wireless, you’ve got to be sure to secure it. Why? Because if you don’t, some hacker could get into your system, use your Internet connection (which could slow you down if they’re streaming video) and even get to your files. They could even decide to reconfigure your wireless router for you.

When it comes to your computer, always consider the worse case scenario.

I’ve been protecting my Wireless by only allowing certain MAC addresses (unique numbers assigned to each network card). Turns out there’s software that will allow people to hack my MAC, and connect to my wireless as me. This would not be good.

So, here are some good ideas for locking down that wireless connection. Most people can get to their configuration by opening up Internet Explorer (or Firefox, if you wish) and going to http://192.168.1.1/. It depends on the router, really. I saw a Dell router that used a different address. Consult your vendor documentation for more information. Here’s another reference for your reading enjoyment.