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Thread: help combat wifi hackers

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    help combat wifi hackers

    hi im new and i would like to know if there is any software to stop hackers accsessing my wifi please.

    also how can i boost my signal strengh as im in a built up aera. my small wire is leaking signal i found out by putting the antena back on the router and the bars went up to 5 and i put the wire on and the went down to 1 bar i have a large sword aerial up high about 30 feet outside. can anyone help please...
    Last edited by yorkieblue; 02-08-2009 at 10:43 AM.

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    ɯʎɔɐɹsɐʌʍ mycarsavw's Avatar
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    Re: help combat wifi hackers

    Welcome to HEXUS

    To protect your WiFi, stop broadcasting your SSID and turn on wireless security (WEP is less secure than WPA/2).
    Last edited by mycarsavw; 02-08-2009 at 12:24 PM. Reason: fixed typo
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    Formerly known as Andehh Andeh13's Avatar
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    Re: help combat wifi hackers

    What make is your router & who supplies your internet? The chances are if you called your ISP (sky, o2, BT etc) then they will take you through each step!

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    Senior Moment blueball's Avatar
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    Re: help combat wifi hackers

    Quote Originally Posted by mycarsavw View Post
    Welcome to HEXUS

    To protect your WiFi, stop broadcasting your SSID and turn on wireless security (WEP is more secure than WPA/2).
    I think you made a typo. WEP is LESS secure than WPA/WPA2
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    ɯʎɔɐɹsɐʌʍ mycarsavw's Avatar
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    Re: help combat wifi hackers

    I had initially phrased it in order of security (WPA is more secure than WEP) but found the WEP link first and forgot to alter the order.
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    Re: help combat wifi hackers

    Welcome to Hexus!

    Turning off your SSID can make it harder for you to connect, but you should change it to something that doesn't identify the make of router, or you.

    You may wnt to link the router to only accept the MAC address of the adapter you are using to connect.

    If you turn on encryption, ensure that you set the router only to accept encrypted connections. Encryption is a privacy pretection mechanism, not an authentication mechanism. As has been said, WPA/WPA2 is more effective thaqn WEP, but WEP is better than nothing.

    (I have moved this thread to a more appropriate place)
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    Senior Member watercooled's Avatar
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    Re: help combat wifi hackers

    Disabling SSID broadcast and blocking unauthorised MAC addresses might stop the average user from using your network but they are useless when faced with a knowledgeable person who wants access. They can be good steps to add layers of security but by themselves just don't bother - networks without SSID broadcast can still be found with software and it's trivial to spoof MAC addresses too. Turning on WPA is a must - WEP is absolutely useless so don't use it, it's really not better than nothing any more. Encryption isn't technically authentication but it does the job - no-one without the encryption key can connect to your router or see what's being sent back and forth (sorry didn't read all of your post peterb - yeah you need to make sure only encryption connections are permitted). For added security use a STRONG password that's very long and as random as possible - I'd recommend using a random password from the second box down here: https://www.grc.com/passwords.htm and saving it to a flash drive or something for future use.
    Last edited by watercooled; 02-08-2009 at 01:01 PM.

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    Re: help combat wifi hackers

    Also, never, ever, ever use your computer's user account password as your WPA personal key. In the event a determined cracker breaks your WPA key, they wont have access to your computer's user account so readily.
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    Re: help combat wifi hackers

    The advice already given is exactly what you need to do. The first question that springs to mind is do you have a problem with unauthorised access on your wireless? If your already doing everything that has been outlined above all you can do is to change your admin password, sid, key, and channel. Using a seperate wireless access point rather than one on your router will allow you do the final thing, turn if off when you don't need it.

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    Re: help combat wifi hackers

    Quote Originally Posted by watercooled View Post
    Disabling SSID broadcast and blocking unauthorised MAC addresses might stop the average user from using your network but they are useless when faced with a knowledgeable person who wants access. They can be good steps to add layers of security but by themselves just don't bother - networks without SSID broadcast can still be found with software and it's trivial to spoof MAC addresses too. Turning on WPA is a must - WEP is absolutely useless so don't use it, it's really not better than nothing any more. Encryption isn't technically authentication but it does the job - no-one without the encryption key can connect to your router or see what's being sent back and forth (sorry didn't read all of your post peterb - yeah you need to make sure only encryption connections are permitted). For added security use a STRONG password that's very long and as random as possible - I'd recommend using a random password from the second box down here: https://www.grc.com/passwords.htm and saving it to a flash drive or something for future use.
    While most of that is true. I certainly disagree with the statement that WEP is not much better than nothing! If you are subject to a determined attack (ie specifically targeted, then it won't protect you, but it will protect you from the opportunist attacker - one just looking for a wi=fi connection to use.

    If you are processing data that makes you the object of a determined attack, you shouldn't be using wi-fi at all, or you should be using far more sophisticated protection!
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    Re: help combat wifi hackers

    SSIDs can be sniffed with the right tools and hiding them just means you've got more to type in. it'll disuade the casual abuser but not the determined ones.

    WPA2 + hugely difficult to remember, let alone guess passwords = way forward.
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    Re: help combat wifi hackers

    There is plenty of software now on the net that allows an attacker to easily access a WEP network within just a few minutes sometimes. While it might stop a neighbour trying to steal bandwidth, an attacker wouldn't be put off. Just because I recommended WPA doesn't mean the OP would be have to be handling critical data - if it's just as easy to use and costs no more why not use it?

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    Re: help combat wifi hackers

    Most security will not protect against a determined attacker, after all you know a lot of double glazing can be removed from the outside! Its all about making sure your not the victim by being the easiest or nicest target, I always like to park my car next to ones that are nicer than mine.

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    Re: help combat wifi hackers

    No reason at all, but if for some reason wpa isn't available, WEP offers some basic protection. Similarly restricting access to known MAC addresses also offers some additional protection.

    Anything that deters an opportunistic attacker to go and look for something easier is worth doing.

    As with all aspects of information security, it comes down to a risk assessment. I certainly wouldn't trust WEP in a university residence with lots of computer science students around, but I can (and do) trust it in my local area, where the ability to mount an opportunistic attack is very limited - and I have other methods for authentication.

    The point I was disagreeing with was the statement

    "WEP is absolutely useless so don't use it, it's really not better than nothing any more"

    which is not true.
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    Re: help combat wifi hackers

    I suppose all that offers some protection in the sense it would be more awkward for someone to gain network access but like I said its just not secure and I just couldn't recommend it because of how easy it is to bypass whereas WPA(2) offers very good security and AFAIK has not been broken. You don't need to know much about computers to break WEP since all you need to do is download some software and run it... If there's absolutely no way you can use WPA then personally I'd rather disable wireless access altogether rather than relying on WEP but if you must have it then enable WEP, turn off wireless access when unused and buy a new router or whatever ASAP and enable WPA.

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    Re: help combat wifi hackers

    That is the thing you have to download some software to break it, if your someone who regularly breaks into to networks you probably have this on your machine already. If you are not, you would not have it on your machine and have to way to get it. I expect your find most people don't have it installed however do find themselves in a situation where they would like internet access but don't have it. An open network will provide them with that access, WEP would stop them. I don't have such software on any machine of mine however have found myself in the situation where I would have really liked internet access, which is why I bought a pay as you go G3 dongle thingie which at 2 quid per day you use it, makes unauthorised access very unattractive (Cheap legal method vs. illegal/unethical method), I will take the legal cheap one thanks.

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