You are looking for the
router??™s name, SSID name, and type of security to keep your network private.
?—?
?—?
Figure 2-3
The basic wireless
configuration will get
you going in the right
direction.
note
12 Project 2
Many of us recognize the default names (SSIDs) of common Wi-Fi access points,
and can expect that those named Linksys, NETGEAR, and so forth have not been
secured by their owners, and thus are vulnerable to others taking advantage and
gaining free use of the Internet access and bandwidth these access points provide.
Change the name of your access point to something obscure, and perhaps ominous.
Names such as ???Infected??? or ???Reboot in progress??? may wave off some folks, and
certainly will not identify the manufacturer (and perhaps hidden vulnerabilities) of
your equipment.
You also need to use the highest security measures (encryption of the wireless
data streams) available. In the case of home wireless setups, Wi-Fi Protected Access
(WPA) is significantly better than Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). Choose a difficult
passphrase/passkey, preferably with more than six characters, including some
numbers and symbols to mix it up. If you must use the name of your pet, like Scooter,
substitute some numbers for the letters by making it into 5c00teR??”and then remember
how and what you obscured.
Simply changing the name (SSID) of the access point won??™t foil those looking for
free bandwidth. Turning off the broadcast of your access point name (for example,
clearing the two check boxes in Figure 2-4) is another way to at least temporarily
Figure 2-4
Wireless security
settings cannot be
overlooked??”they help
prevent casual drive-by
bandwidth abuse.
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