so do the threats.
Assessment & AssuranceSecuring Home Wireless Networks
This page contains some additional details on how to secure home wireless (802.11) networks as discussed by one of our security experts on Ten News on 8 November 2005 .
The following are a list of simple security measures which make it more difficult for an attacker to break into your wireless network:
1. Change all the default settings that the Wireless Access Point ships with . eg. SSID (network name), encryption keys, passwords, etc as these are commonly known and targeted by attackers.
2. Do not use an SSID (network name) which identifies you. Using a family name or business name makes it easier for an attacker to identify who they are targeting.
3. Enable MAC address filtering to restrict which wireless devices can connect to your network. All wireless devices have a unique MAC address, similar to a serial number, which identifies the device.
4. Enable encryption to protect against eavesdropping attacks. Eavesdropping attacks involve an attacker “listening in” to your wireless network signals and monitoring your network activity. eg. sending and receiving email.
5. Enable WPA (Wi-fi Protected Access) if your wireless device supports it, and configure a strong password as the encryption key. If it doesn’t, configure WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) using the highest level of encryption it supports. You need to check that both your wireless network cards and access point support these security options, and identical configurations must be made on both of these for them to communicate successfully.
6. Configure the Wireless Access Point to not broadcast the SSID (network name) if it supports this option. This can help prevent attacker tools detecting your wireless network.