Upgrade wireless network security

Do you think the wireless network you are using is really secure? You'd better reconsider this issue. The latest Wi-Fi security standard, called Wireless Protected Access 2 (WPA2), adds professional-grade data encryption, available more than a year ago, but most users still don't use it. this standard.

In fact, WPA2 is worth installing because the previous WPA security standard can be easily "cracked" unless you use a passphrase longer than 20 characters and not concatenated from words that contain can be easy to guess.

While WPA's brother, the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) standard, is still in use, though only slightly more secure than when not using a single security measure. WEP can be cracked in just a few seconds regardless of the complexity of the key you set out.

If your security goal is just to prevent other users from connecting to the network, WEP meets that requirement. However, if you want to strictly protect your personal data, it's best to use WPA2.

Before you add WPA2 security capabilities to your network, you must download and install the WPA2 upgrade hotfix for Windows XP. In addition, you will also need to install the latest version for the wireless network card driver from the manufacturer's website. Microsoft's Windows Update website usually lists updates in the "Hardware, Optional" section. Note that this option is only visible when using licensed Windows.

Next, download and update the latest firmware for the wireless router (router) from the manufacturer's website (refer to the list of products supporting WPA2 here. If the router is too old to update WPA2) / WPA is best you should replace new device instead of the new device is quite cheap, about 35 USD.

Once fully prepared, use a browser to go to the router's admin website (see the documentation that came with your device for exactly how) and change the default security mode to WPA2 Personal: choose the WPA algorithm TKIP + AGES and enter the password under WPA Shared Key (Figure 1). Password can consist of alphanumeric characters, with a maximum length of 63 characters. At the next login times, the system will prompt you to enter the WPA Shared Key password.

AUTOMATIC SECURITY

Although Windows 2000 and earlier versions of Windows do not support WPA2 security, you can still secure your wireless network with the help of a number of useful tools.

Figure 2: Securing your wireless network with McAfee's Wireless Home Network Security utility.

McAfee Wireless Home Network Security ($ 80) is software that can configure Wi-Fi security for multiple wireless gateways and supports up to three network machines (Figure 2). This company lists the equipment that this program supports at www.mcafee.com/router. Although it does not support WPA2, this software can overcome some disadvantages of WPA standard (such as using static key so it is easier to crack). The program automatically generates and cycles through new keys on any computer on the network and on the gateway itself.

Alternatively, another way to check the security of your wireless network is to use Marius Milner's free Netstumbler. Netstumbler not only helps you identify security "holes" on the network, but also detects the source of interference as well as identifies areas with weak signals.

Report this Page