When Gretchen and I first got DSL and setup our home wireless network, we were the only one’s on the block. Then the guy behind us got wifi, but only because he was a computer programmer geek.
Now, when I kick on my airport card to select a network, it looks like this:
There are six separate networks, all within broadcast range of our house.
And now, a word about wireless network security: I can join all 5 of the 6 networks that are not ours.
2 are totally unprotected, open to anyone to join.
2 of the networks still have the default network name assigned by the browser, so I assumed that the person setting it up hadn’t changed the default password either. I put my elite hacking skills to work, and it took me exactly 2 tries to join each one. One had the password “default” and the other had the password “admin”.
The last one is my favorite. They took the time to rename their network, and to give it a password. The password? exactly the same as the network name.
Not only that, but on 3 of the 5 netorks, I can access the admin panel of their router by using the default password. I can change their wireless network settings without their permission.
On one of those networks, there is an un-firewalled, unprotected connection directly to the family’s home computer.
Secure your wifi connections! Just like you wouldn’t leave your front door unlocked, you shouldn’t leave control of your home network unlocked.
This concludes the Addison Road PSA on Wifi Security. The more you know …
Not a problem in my neighborhood. To get close enough to my wireless network to log in, you have to make it inside the fence, past the dogs, and around the land mines (just kidding about that last… you hope).
Shoot, I have trouble getting into it from the other end of the house.
Having said that: when I need wireless access fast, I just go cruise a crowded neighborhood with the laptop on… it doesn’t usually take long.
That’s right. The REAL dogs.
That reminds me, Aly, how’s Lucy? I have to say that I’ve expected more bragging on your part on this blog. I mean, look at all the stuff about Sophia…
Cerise
Totally agree on the security front. I have to say, though, that it’s pretty cool to be walking down Memorial Drive near Harvard, decide I need to contact a colleague and just be able to do it from any park bench! Seriously, though, I have opened up peoples’ router config pages based on simple guesswork.
Oddly, I mentioned this to a friend of mine and it turns out that he’d LOVE to secure his network but can’t figure out how to get Apple System 10.3 to talk to it! I find this somewhat humorous in light of the ridiculous amount of Apple-bias I keep reading…. Oh, well. I guess we can’t be perfect at everything.
send me his IP address, and password. I’ll secure it for him.
heh heh