 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||
Safety without wires
Part of what makes Wi-Fi so popular—easy access—also makes it vulnerable to hackers. Your newly installed access point is set up to broadcast with the same manufacturer’s defaults that are on every other access point made by that
manufacturer. Leaving those settings untouched may permit your laptop to pick up the signal without any additional effort on your part—but it also allows anyone else within the signal’s range to do the same.
And once hackers and other nefarious types log on to your network, they can pick up the data you’re transmiting to and from your laptop. Banking, shopping—any online activity that requires sensitive information can be compromised. However, there are some features built into most wireless access-point routers that can at least limit your
vulnerability.
Change your name
Each access point has a name: the SSID. Usually, the SSID
is set to something painfully obvious, such as the manufacturer’s name, and the access point broadcasts its name along with its signal. This facilitates detection by your PC, but it also makes it easy for someone driving by your office to pick up the signal. Change the SSID to something less obvious and uncheck the setting that permits the SSID to transmit to other Wi-Fi devices. Without knowing the name (SSID), unauthorized users will have a much harder time finding your network.
Scramble the message
Your access point comes with an option called wired equivalent privacy (WEP), which is most likely disabled.WEP encrypts data as it travels back and forth from PC to access point. But many consumers leave WEP disabled—and their data unprotected—because setting up WEP involves entering a 26-number string on the access point and each computer you want to access it. While setting up WEP may be a pain, like changing the SSID it needs to be done only once.
Limit the access
Wireless access-point routers come with preset passwords, like admin. If a hacker can’t get into your network but knows there’s one available, breaking into the access point enables him to change the settings—alter the SSID, disable encryption—and connect to your network. Change the password to something hard to decipher.
home current issue top 10 resources
Buyers & sellers,
visit www.texasrealestate.com.
REALTORS®, visit www.texasrealtors.com.
