Technology & Learning - September 2007 - (Page 42)

» How To: By Jeffrey Branzburg Safe at Any Speed Securing your Wi-Fi network is easier and more important than you might think. rom my New York City apartment, my laptop picks up signals from no fewer than six Wi-Fi networks. Several of them are listed as “unsecured,” while others are passwordprotected. That got me thinking: If my laptop can see these networks, then people on those networks can see mine. And if they think it necessary to secure theirs, then maybe I should secure mine too. My neighbors are all very fine people, but…. Why Should I Secure My Wireless Network? I’m not too worried about people using my wireless connection to access the Internet (although my ISP may be). But I certainly do not want others accessing computer files or intercepting data I send out. I have also read it is possible for people to “hijack” a personal computer over a wireless connection and use it as a source to send out spam or malicious software that could be traced back to that computer. I am sure the chances of this are very low—why spend the time breaking into Jeff Branzburg’s PC when there are banks, brokerage houses, and the like out there. But reducing even a very slim chance still sounds good to me. instructions as to how to log on to access its settings. I first changed the log-on username and password; every wireless router I have seen comes with default ones identical to all other wireless routers of that brand and model. It was easy enough to change them to a username and password of my choosing. F “verizon”; it had a unique, 12-character code, which I saw no need to change. Encryption Encryption will scramble information sent out over your wireless network so that if intercepted it remains unreadable. Over the years a number of encryption protocols have been developed. WEP (wired equivalency privacy) is a security protocol for wireless networks that attempts to be as secure as a wired network (hence the name). It has been in use since 1999 (ancient in Internet years). WPA stands for Wi-Fi protected access. It is a more recent protocol and stronger than WEP. My DSL modem/router offers two types of security, WEP and WPAPSK (“pre-shared key,” a less-secure form of WPA but still more secure than WEP). I figured I might as well go for the best I could, so I chose WPA-PSK from the menu. A window appeared with space to enter a “WPA Shared Key” (see graphic below). What’s in a Name? When I see a number of other Wi-Fi networks on my laptop, whether at home or elsewhere, it amazes me how many people keep the default wireless network name (called “SSID,” or service set identifier) such as “linksys” or “netgear.” Simply changing the name requires just one quick and easy step. In my case, my Verizon setup on the Westell router did not have a name as simple as “westell” or Entering a WPA key creates a more secure network connection. Getting Started I was using an unsecured DSL connection from Verizon in my home. To get started, the first thing I did was to log on to my wireless modem/router (a Westell VersaLink Model 327W). Each brand of router will come with 42 | www.techlearning.com http://www.techlearning.com

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Technology & Learning - September 2007 Contents Editor’s Desk News & Trends Product Guide Reviews Getting It Wrong Cover Story: SchoolBiz School CIO Higher Ed Integration How To What’s New Bottom Line

Technology & Learning - September 2007

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