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Re: Ain't WiFi great?
#18020 08/22/03 02:10 PM
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Yeah Sushi, WEP is weak, but it is better than nothing.

I am also in the IT field.

Re: Ain't WiFi great?
#18021 08/22/03 05:34 PM
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I'm also in IT and configure all the WiFi for our entire network. I got handed the WiFi stuff when a user next door called and told us the names of our servers he could see. Anyway, 128bit WEP is strong enough to keep 99% of the people out. The other 1% probably won't bother unless your a multi-millionaire or something. It does create a little overhead adding the encryption to the packets, but worth it unless you want someone sucking up your bandwidth. I got a neat tool at work, a Fluke Wireless Tester, amazing how many access points are out there.

Re: Ain't WiFi great?
#18022 08/22/03 05:41 PM
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To break 128bit WEP, it takes about 4gigs of data. So depending on how heavy WiFi is used in your area, it actually is pretty easy. Someone just has to sit somewhere they can get a signal, capture data, leave, run a utility, come back and be on your net.

I sent one of my guys to security school, and WEP was covered. They actually sent the students war-driving.

New technologies are on the way or here that will help.

curtis

Re: Ain't WiFi great?
#18023 08/22/03 05:48 PM
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I am no IT expert, so here is my question...

I didn't think my neighbors and street onlookers can easily break in to my home-WiFi, because I have the MAC access restriction enabled, so that only my laptop and my wife's can physically access the network. Is it easy to break/override the MAC list without first break in to our house or stealing one of our laptops?

And yes, the 128-bit WEP seems to add a small but noticeable overhead. That's why I choose not to enable it at this time. But I am open to your expert suggestions.

Re: Ain't WiFi great?
#18024 08/22/03 05:49 PM
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pmbuko Offline OP
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Is there ANY way of preventing someone from capturing those packets? I know my MAC access list will prevent them from actually using my network (unless they guess and spoof an address in that list), but once they break WEP, can they just sit out there and spy on all my traffic?

Re: Ain't WiFi great?
#18025 08/22/03 07:33 PM
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Yeah...the MAC thing can be overridden, not easy, but can be done.

And yes...once the WEP is broken, people can easily check out your data.

The question is, do they have reason to? It is much easier for them to sit outside and listen to your conversations.

You have to remember that network security is not an absolute. You can not make any network 100% secure, there is always a way around the security. It is matter of how difficult it is, and if it is worth it for someone to break-in.

Sushi, you may have important research on your machines that you do not want someone else to see. I would encrypt the data on those machines. And depending on how far you want to go, I would use a hard wire connection as often as I could, and turn off my wireless access point when not in use. Just a matter on how extreme you want to get.

How many of you use passwords that are random characters and symbols rather than words or names?

curtis

Re: Ain't WiFi great?
#18026 08/22/03 07:53 PM
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pmbuko Offline OP
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In reply to:

How many of you use passwords that are random characters and symbols rather than words or names?




That sounds suspiciously like social engineering to me. You're not holding a clipboard, are you?

Re: Ain't WiFi great?
#18027 08/22/03 08:43 PM
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First you have to have a packet capturing program, and second you need to be able to extract the header with the key in it and piece it together, I'm sure there are programs that can probably do that for you, but the average person won't go through that much trouble, and if you have a router with wireless access point, you can look at the DHCP table, see who is on your system, delete it then change the key.

Re: Ain't WiFi great?
#18028 08/22/03 08:43 PM
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In reply to:

That sounds suspiciously like social engineering to me. You're not holding a clipboard, are you?




I hired a company to do that and check our security.

Re: Ain't WiFi great?
#18029 08/22/03 09:44 PM
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In reply to:

How many of you use passwords that are random characters and symbols rather than words or names?




/me raises hand.

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