The convenience of logging on to the Internet in a coffee shop, in a car or at home in the back yard, along with more "hot spots" where wireless Internet is ready has driven the popularity of wireless considerably in the last year. But few population comprehend the huge protection risks with wireless access.
Hand Held Credit Card Machine
We lock our businesses and houses, keep our money in locked vaults at banks and so on, but we don't lock our wireless way points on our Pcs. Numerous studies of both enterprise and residential wireless way points have shown that they are not locked down or are not locked correctly.
All it takes is a wireless router plugged into the Internet and network adapters for each machine. Instead of long cables, radio signals are used to connect the computers; allowing them to share that singular high-speed connection. Wireless networks are easy to set up and relatively inexpensive. But with convenience comes a trade off in security. Wireless networks, sometimes referred to as Wi-Fi or 802.11 networks, use a radio link instead of cables to connect computers. As a result, anyone within radio range can theoretically listen in or transmit data on the network.
One study showed that 90 percent of 1,500 businesses surveyed reported using wireless protection products; a vast majority depended on protection systems that left their networks. The data they transmitted were exposed to attacks from hackers (survey by the Diffusion Group, Aug. 16, 2006). Other studies have show that businesses using wireless connectivity are using dated, old technology to lock their wireless way points.
This is scary because hackers can get into a network via wireless and once in, they can gain social protection numbers, driver's licenses, prestige card numbers, and other personal and financial information. Add to the mix that they can take over your computers, and the dangers grow. Intruders don't need bodily way to your hardware; they can be sitting in your parking lot or in the apartment complex across the street. Freely ready tools allow intruders to "sniff" for insecure networks. With a schedule like this, a hacker can gain way to a wireless way point, run the program, and in a couple minutes gain every password man uses.
Technology and computers are all the time changing and advancing. Along with this, white collar criminals, such as hackers, are continually adapting and searching for new ways to succeed. Updates for viruses, spyware and operating systems come out roughly daily. The first protection mechanism built into Wi-Fi was Wired Equivalent Privacy (Wep), which allowed the encryption of wireless traffic. However, encryption is turned off by default in wireless devices and software, and in many cases, it's never turned on. But even when Wep is used, it isn't terribly secure.
Last year, Ian Goldberg, a cryptologist at protection and privacy software developer Zero-Knowledge Systems Inc. In Montreal, working with researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, broke Wep. Researchers at Rice University in Houston and At&T Labs in Florham Park, N.J., later discovered an even easier method for breaking Wep.
Going wireless means your Internet connection is broadcasting surface your home or business. Without any security, anyone with a wireless-enabled laptop or handheld computer can use your network. They can get free internet access, steal data stored in your computers, or use your theory to assault something else. This could include downloading child porn, sharing copyrighted content, or executing a denial-of-service assault and could be connected to you.
This protection weakness has led to "wardriving," which involves driving colse to with a wireless-enabled gismo and finding wireless networks. There are those who think it a hobby; they do it out of curiosity and to call concentration to the extent of the protection problem. Then there are those who use wardriving for criminal intent. Identifying the networks isn't illegal, but accessing them is.
In February 2006 a man in Rockford, Ill. Was arrested for accessing the Internet through a nonprofit agency's wireless. He was fined 0 and sentenced to one year of court supervision. Are we scared yet? We should be. Just last year, even after numerous technology articles ranting and raving about wireless protection risks, nothing has changed. Solutions are available. Part of the sass is to enable your way point's protection features. It's that simple. Businesses also have to encrypt traffic and segment the wireless network using Vlans (virtual local area networks). data technology professionals propose that businesses have a wireless assessment done by a enterprise other than the one that set it up. This will decree if your wireless is locked down. If not, it can and should be done as speedily as possible. Companies, such as Elite It (http://www.eliteitpc.com) can provide these solutions to both businesses & residential Clients.
Be careful Out There - Wireless Internet Poses Huge security Risks!
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