Securing Your Wi-Fi Connection

Protecting Wi-Fi Networks From Unauthorized Access

by Jon Norwood - November 28th, 2006

As with any type of Internet connection, someone using WiFi technology should take security precautions to protect the data that they are transferring over a public network. If the WiFi connection is not secure it becomes possible for others to view files, read mail, and possibly make changes to a user's computer.

This can be a nuisance to many users, but to a business this could mean lost revenue or even law suits. Hackers can also use poorly secured connections to commit crimes and do harm to others, and this alone is reason enough to understand the security precautions needed to make a WiFi connection as safe as possible. There are many ways to secure confidential data including WEP keys, WiFi Protected Access, and SSIDs.

WEP Key

WEP key technology was designed to provide a level of security that was similar to a wired network; hence the name Wired Equivalent Protection. LANs are of course more secure due to the nature of the network in which the data is traveling, but WEP does offer a level of security that should be acceptable to the general consumer.

WEP technology encrypts data packets over radio waves, so if a computer has a wireless connection to a router for example, the data is encrypted at the PC and decrypted at the router where it travels through the Internet the same as any wired connection. This means that although the data is encrypted, it is still traveling on a radio carrier wave that is accessible to anyone with a receiver. Without the WEP key of course the data cannot be accessed.

A big limitation to WEP is key size. Due to the short size of the key, cracking it doesn't require the interception of many packets. Of course if you have data that is so important that a hacker has targeted your encryption for a crack, it might be wise to stick to a wired network.

WEP is a very common security protocol and is installed on most wireless routers on the consumer market.

Wi-Fi Protected Access

WiFi protected Access, or WPA, was designed to correct several flaws in WEP security technology. Designed by The WiFi Alliance, WPA attempts to standardize wireless security to allow unification in a scattered and unfocused market. WPA offers individual key access, allowing each user on a wireless network to have their own key, thus minimizing the threat of intruders.

The increased size of the WPA keys over WEP keys as well as reducing the quantity of packets sent with the key tightens security considerably. WPA generally comes with detection protocol that blocks communication when a hacker attempts to break the encryption. As with any security however, WPA has its weaknesses and if someone wants the information bad enough, there may be a way to get it.

SSID

SSID is an identifier that is part of any data packet that is sent over a particular wireless network. Service Set Identifiers can identify specific WLANs, and all users attempting to connect to a SSID enabled WLAN must have the correct SSID. An SSID is easily detected and alone provides little to no security to a network.

What an SSID does do however is allow a particular network to have a unique name, thus making it clear where users are connected. This helps to defend against a relatively new attack know as The Evil Twin. An Evil Twin is a mobile WiFi connection that overlaps another connection in use. Users can mistakenly log onto the “twin” network and unknowingly transmit all their information to someone's computer. When used with a key logger, the Evil Twin will know everywhere you went and everything you typed. This is an easy way to capture usernames and password.

Most WiFi hotspots are taking measures to prevent Evil Twins, including using SSID. Make sure the network you are using takes steps to prevent this.

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