http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/msgherzi/14556 You have an office or home where you might possibly have 1,2 or more computers. You have broadband, and now you need a wireless router to synch everything together. You are sharing personal and sensitive information as files through the file sharing, and printers, fax machines...how can you secure your data? How can you know for sure that your information will be secure even when you log onto websites and enter personal information? The answer is simple, you can't. You will never know for sure 100% that nobody is gathering or stealing your sensitive data, but there are measures that you can take to drastically prevent this type of theft from ever happening: 1. Enable WPA2!! NEVER use WEP under any circumstances. It's algorithms are extremely weak and can be hacked within minutes. WPA has has a flaw if you are using short, weak passwords. Your password should always be 72 characters long of mumbo-jumbo(ex. h*kP,3@c). 2. Shut down your SSID broadcasting. This will hide your network to those who are looking for it, it will show nothing. This can be bypassed rather easily. However, the more fences one must hop the better. 3. Enable MAC filtering. This will only allow certain computers that have a specific MAC address to connect. This is easily the weakest security of them all, because all an individual needs to do is spoof his/her MAC address. But again, enable it anyway. 4. Invest in a small, affordable and easy-to-use VPN(Virtual Private Network). This will route your traffic elsewhere and will keep prying eyes off your data with 256-bit AES encryption(the strongest available). 5. Miscellaneous - Switch to a different channel if you suspect that someone is breaking in. Also enable your Firewall, disable remote management, and I would not recommend using DMZ(which opens up all ports for a specific IP address). 6. Finally, set a password for your router/VPN/modem. Simple but frustrating to those trying to break through. Again, very easy to bypass. Many of these options I've listed here are simple to break through. The whole point is to put up as many road blocks as possible in order to perhaps frustrate anyone trying to break into your wireless network. The best defense is to not let anyone in to begin with. So, enable WPA2 and use the longest and strongest password you can. And invest in buying a VPN. I recommend taking a look at http://www.iphantom.com. Phantom gateways has a very easy-to-use, affordable and powerful VPN that even the simplest of computer users can figure out. The best security is to switch to WPA2 by far. Get rid of WEP, it's security is almost as equal to nothing. And if you have information that needs to be kept secret, WPA2 is the best option by far. This is a &quot;Wireless Security for Dummies&quot; guide and very simple, yet it is written that even the uneducated user can apply it to protect their data. You have an office or home where you might possibly have 1,2 or more computers. You have broadband, and now you need a wireless router to synch everything together. You are sharing personal and sensitive information as files through the file sharing, and printers, fax machines...how can you secure your data? How can you know for sure that your information will be secure even when you log onto websites and enter personal information? The answer is simple, you can't. You will never know for sure 100% that nobody is gathering or stealing your sensitive data, but there are measures that you can take to drastically prevent this type of theft from ever happening: 1. Enable WPA2!! NEVER use WEP under any circumstances. It's algorithms are extremely weak and can be hacked within minutes. WPA has has a flaw if you are using short, weak passwords. Your password should always be 72 characters long of mumbo-jumbo(ex. h*kP,3@c). 2. Shut down your SSID broadcasting. This will hide your network to those who are looking for it, it will show nothing. This can be bypassed rather easily. However, the more fences one must hop the better. 3. Enable MAC filtering. This will only allow certain computers that have a specific MAC address to connect. This is easily the weakest security of them all, because all an individual needs to do is spoof his/her MAC address. But again, enable it anyway. 4. Invest in a small, affordable and easy-to-use VPN(Virtual Private Network). This will route your traffic elsewhere and will keep prying eyes off your data with 256-bit AES encryption(the strongest available). 5. Miscellaneous - Switch to a different channel if you suspect that someone is breaking in. Also enable your Firewall, disable remote management, and I would not recommend using DMZ(which opens up all ports for a specific IP address). 6. Finally, set a password for your router/VPN/modem. Simple but frustrating to those trying to break through. Again, very easy to bypass. Many of these options I've listed here are simple to break through. The whole point is to put up as many road blocks as possible in order to perhaps frustrate anyone trying to break into your wireless network. The best defense is to not let anyone in to begin with. So, enable WPA2 and use the longest and strongest password you can. And invest in buying a VPN. I recommend taking a look at http://www.iphantom.com. Phantom gateways has a very easy-to-use, affordable and powerful VPN that even the simplest of computer users can figure out. The best security is to switch to WPA2 by far. Get rid of WEP, it's security is almost as equal to nothing. And if you have information that needs to be kept secret, WPA2 is the best option by far. This is a &quot;Wireless Security for Dummies&quot; guide and very simple, yet it is written that even the uneducated user can apply it to protect their data. en-us I'm curious about MAC address infiltration.&nbsp; I do enable MAC address filtering on my wireless network, but how can that be hacked?&nbsp; Out of all the available MAC addresses, how can someone hack through all the available MAC addresses before finding the two or three that are enabled on a network?&nbsp; http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/msgherzi/14556/#c_138111 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/msgherzi/14556/#c_138111 I'm curious about MAC address infiltration.&nbsp; I do enable MAC address filtering on my wireless network, but how can that be hacked?&nbsp; Out of all the available MAC addresses, how can someone hack through all the available MAC addresses before finding the two or three that are enabled on a network?&nbsp; Hi Greg,<br /> <br /> How many MAC addressed are enabled on your filter?<br /> <br /> The way an individual breaks through is by spoofing his or her MAC address to the one you enable on the filter list. This can be done in under a minute, and is very simple. If you have more than one MAC address enabled on your filter, and the machines with those addressed are not connected, it is simply a cake walk for anyone to break in. They simply wait for one to connect, capture their MAC, wait for them to sign off, then they connect using the MAC address.<br /> <br /> MAC address filtering simply does not go far enough. It is a small fence to hop, but it's easily hopped. However, if you are afraid of being a target and if filtering is the only protocol you have in place, I suggest you look into enabling WPA or WPA2 on your wireless router, Greg. Make sure you use a password that is not in the dictionary. <a href="https://www.grc.com/passwords.htm" target="_blank">Try here</a>. Investing in a low price VPN like iPhantom is also an excellent idea.<br /> <br /> Hope this helps,<br /> <br /> Matthew Sgherzi http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/msgherzi/14556/#c_138294 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/msgherzi/14556/#c_138294 Hi Greg,<br /> <br /> How many MAC addressed are enabled on your filter?<br /> <br /> The way an individual breaks through is by spoofing his or her MAC address to the one you enable on the filter list. This can be done in under a minute, and is very simple. If you have more than one MAC address enabled on your filter, and the machines with those addressed are not connected, it is simply a cake walk for anyone to break in. They simply wait for one to connect, capture their MAC, wait for them to sign off, then they connect using the MAC address.<br /> <br /> MAC address filtering simply does not go far enough. It is a small fence to hop, but it's easily hopped. However, if you are afraid of being a target and if filtering is the only protocol you have in place, I suggest you look into enabling WPA or WPA2 on your wireless router, Greg. Make sure you use a password that is not in the dictionary. <a href="https://www.grc.com/passwords.htm" target="_blank">Try here</a>. Investing in a low price VPN like iPhantom is also an excellent idea.<br /> <br /> Hope this helps,<br /> <br /> Matthew Sgherzi Very interesting regarding capturing the MAC address, simple and clever.&nbsp; I also use WPA2, with very unique passwords.&nbsp; In addition, I limit the transmit power of my AirPorts so I can barely get reception around the fringes of my home.&nbsp; I can see many of my neighbors networks, but I doubt they can see mine, unless they are right outside my door! http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/msgherzi/14556/#c_138303 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/msgherzi/14556/#c_138303 Very interesting regarding capturing the MAC address, simple and clever.&nbsp; I also use WPA2, with very unique passwords.&nbsp; In addition, I limit the transmit power of my AirPorts so I can barely get reception around the fringes of my home.&nbsp; I can see many of my neighbors networks, but I doubt they can see mine, unless they are right outside my door! <p>I know this isn't a security issue but I need some help.&nbsp; Maybe I should do a separate post but you guys sound like you know so much about computers.&nbsp; As some of you might remember I am so not computer intelligent.&nbsp; We bought a new computer with the Vista thing, and it has where you can have different users.&nbsp; So I am setting up a user for my son which is 7 because he loves the computer and transformers.&nbsp; So I go to a wallpaper site and find a cool one of his favorite transformer.&nbsp; I put it on his wallpaper but it is really blurry.&nbsp; I know it has something to do with the resolution but I don't know how to fix it.&nbsp; I downloaded (I think that is the right terminology) the picture to my pictures file, and it is clear.&nbsp; But when I transfer it to the wallpaper you can barley make out what it is.&nbsp; Can I fix this, or is it the others picture that I can't fix?&nbsp; Thanks for any help and sorry again for butting in on this blog....but you seem so smart :) BTW, I do read all the computer jargon to try to learn something but most of it is way over my head.&nbsp; The one thing I have learned is not to put personally info on my computer until I learn more about people getting into my computer and stealing info or data.&nbsp; Wow, I guess no one is truly safe, huh?</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/msgherzi/14556/#c_138307 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/msgherzi/14556/#c_138307 <p>I know this isn't a security issue but I need some help.&nbsp; Maybe I should do a separate post but you guys sound like you know so much about computers.&nbsp; As some of you might remember I am so not computer intelligent.&nbsp; We bought a new computer with the Vista thing, and it has where you can have different users.&nbsp; So I am setting up a user for my son which is 7 because he loves the computer and transformers.&nbsp; So I go to a wallpaper site and find a cool one of his favorite transformer.&nbsp; I put it on his wallpaper but it is really blurry.&nbsp; I know it has something to do with the resolution but I don't know how to fix it.&nbsp; I downloaded (I think that is the right terminology) the picture to my pictures file, and it is clear.&nbsp; But when I transfer it to the wallpaper you can barley make out what it is.&nbsp; Can I fix this, or is it the others picture that I can't fix?&nbsp; Thanks for any help and sorry again for butting in on this blog....but you seem so smart :) BTW, I do read all the computer jargon to try to learn something but most of it is way over my head.&nbsp; The one thing I have learned is not to put personally info on my computer until I learn more about people getting into my computer and stealing info or data.&nbsp; Wow, I guess no one is truly safe, huh?</p> Solution: Buy a Mac!&nbsp; JUST KIDDING!&nbsp; <br /> <br /> Sorry, I can't help you, I'm still running WinXP on my Mac (begrudgingly) and don't know enough about Windows to be of any help.<br /> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/msgherzi/14556/#c_138311 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/msgherzi/14556/#c_138311 Solution: Buy a Mac!&nbsp; JUST KIDDING!&nbsp; <br /> <br /> Sorry, I can't help you, I'm still running WinXP on my Mac (begrudgingly) and don't know enough about Windows to be of any help.<br /> Colitas,<br /> <br /> What is the resolution of the picture? I'm thinking perhaps it is too small. If it is too small then when it is stretched it will naturally be too blurry to identify the image. If you can find a larger picture, that should solve your issue. http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/msgherzi/14556/#c_138331 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/msgherzi/14556/#c_138331 Colitas,<br /> <br /> What is the resolution of the picture? I'm thinking perhaps it is too small. If it is too small then when it is stretched it will naturally be too blurry to identify the image. If you can find a larger picture, that should solve your issue.