Top 10 basic wireless security practices

Jon Russo and Frank Burdette   Today’s Top Stories   or  Other Mobile and Wireless Stories  

Bringing Order and Security to your Mobile Workforce: Corporate Mobility Policy and Device Management Achiving Compliance Through Good Governance Enabling Identity and Security Management with Open Source Report: Independent Evaluation of Requirements Management Solutions Next-Gen Load Balancing: 3 Keys to Successful Delivery of Advanced Web Apps Go Green with Webroot® Perimeter Security SaaS! Virtual Reality SaaS Solutions for Remote Systems Management Mobility @ the Speed of Business Sign up to receive Security Resource Alerts

December 9, 2003 (Computerworld) -- Wireless security is a hot topic these days, and different advice abounds. Here's a short checklist to make sure you have the basics covered:

1. Use vendor-supplied security -- Since the capabilities of each wireless router/access point/bridge differ from brand to brand, it's best to get the vendor's recommendation on the best security options for their devices



2. Change the default admin password of your wireless router/access point/bridge -- Once a potential attacker detects a wireless network, this is one of the easiest ways to further compromise it.



3. Turn down the power -- Some vendor's wireless router/access point/bridge's offer the option of changing the power settings so that your wireless network is not broadcasting its signal farther than you really need it to.



4. Use Media Access Control (MAC) address filtering and Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) -- MAC address filtering will help restrict access to your home wireless network to only those users you authorize. If WEP is the only security option available on your wireless router/access point/bridge, use a key that is hard to guess and change it periodically.



5. Consult the vendor about antenna positioning -- Different antennas radiate signal in different patterns. Check your vendor's documentation to verify optimal antenna positioning for your wireless network.



	Jon Russo is vice president of marketing at iPass Inc. Frank Burdette is an associate and senior technical engineer at Booz Allen Hamilton.




6. Change SSID and, if possible, disable SSID broadcast -- Your wireless router/access point/bridge may come with a default SSID already configured. Change it as soon as you set up your wireless network. Also, some vendor's may offer the option of not broadcasting this network identifier.


7. Keep your wireless router/access point/bridge firmware up to date -- New firmware can help resolve compatibility problems, plug security holes and provide other important fixes. Check the vendor's Web site for these updates.



8. Use a VPN for working at home -- For enterprise users working at home, always check with your enterprise IT department or help desk for best practices regarding accessing the company network over your wireless home network. Often, virtual private network (VPN) software is required for this purpose.



9. Keep your antivirus software up to date -- Viruses, worms and Trojans are a continuous threat. Make sure your wireless network is not a haven for these problems.



10. Use a firewall -- Either a hardware or software firewall can help protect your computer and the rest of your network from attack.

Print this Story

Send Us Feedback

E-mail this Story

Digg this Story

Slashdot this Story

Read more posts or See all Blogs

IBM launches Bluehouse, a Facebook for business iPhone grabs top smart phone spot Wi-Fi helps college students get better grades, survey says More top stories...

Microsoft scales out SQL Server 2008, wants to 'democratize BI' Oracle tries to step up on high-end databases NASA spacecraft successfully snaps pics of Mercury

Health hazards for IT workers -- how that desk job wears your body down Too much junk food, too little exercise and a 24/7 tether to technology? Your body ain't happy, friend. Let us count the pains. NASA robot sends back evidence it's snowing on Mars Instruments on the surface of Mars have detected falling snow that is likely evaporating before it reaches the planet. Wall Street's collapse may be computer science's gain One positive development stemming from the collapse of Wall Street may be a boost in interest in computer science and IT careers among students who were previously interested in financial services jobs. Installing Linux apps: A few good tips Getting new software installed on Linux doesn't have to be hard, but it can differ depending on what you're installing. Windows Vista A to Z Reviews, analyses, how-tos, visual tours, hot issues and predictions about Microsoft's new OS. More Continuing Coverage After 9/11: Homeland Security Apple's iPhone Ask a Premier 100 IT Leader Bill Gates steps down BlackBerry Legal Battle Data Security Breaches Electronic Voting Firefox H-1B Visas HP's Boardroom Scandal Handheld Devices Hurricane Katrina Aftermath Microsoft Legal Issues Microsoft's Vista Open Source RFID Technology SCO's Linux Fight Sarbanes-Oxley Act Spam Voice Over IP Wi-Fi Windows Meta File Vulnerability Windows XP Service Pack 3 IT Careers 2010 Four years from now, the IT field will be a vastly different place. Will you be ready? More Special Reports Premier 100 IT Leaders 2007 Best in Class 2006 Computerworld Horizon Awards 2006 Premier 100 IT Leaders 2006 Salary Survey 2007 Best Places to Work in IT 2007 IT Forecast 2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders 40 Years of Computerworld ASPs, Take Two Best Places to Work in IT 2003 Best Places to Work in IT 2004 Best Places to Work in IT 2005 Best Places to Work in IT 2006 Business Intelligence Home Runs Business Intelligence: Smarter BI Business Intelligence: The Future of BI CRM Goes Vertical CRM: Sober CRM Career Planning Guide 2005 Careers: IT Profession 2010 Computerworld Horizon Awards 2005 Data Management: Mining for Gems Data Management: Taming Data Chaos Development: Hard-Workin' Web Sites Development: New Tools New Choices Development: The New World of Application Development Development: The Web Services Tsunami Development: Web Services Hurdles Disaster Recovery: Preparing for the Worst E-commerce Grows Up E-mail/Groupware: Big Decisions Faces of Mobile IT Forecast 2006 Global Mobile Hardware: Multiple Cores, Multiple Challenges Hardware: On-Demand Un-Hyped Hardware: The Shape of Things to Come Horizon Awards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge Technologies IT Management: Guide to Managing Vendors IT Management: Navigating Global IT IT Management: Recovery Ahead IT Management: The Future of IT IT Management: The Resourceful Project Manager Innovative Technology Awards 2004 Management: Reinventing IT Microsoft in Transition Mobile/Wireless Leaders and Laggards Mobile/Wireless: The Untethered Worker Mobile/Wireless: Tiny Gadgets, Huge Costs Network Management: Taking Control Networking: Turbulence Ahead! Networking: VoIP Goes Mainstream Operating Systems: In the Slow Lane Operating Systems: Linux Goes Global Operating Systems: Should You Nix Unix? Outsourcing: Offshore Buyer's Guide Outsourcing: Outsourcing Dangers Premier 100 IT Leaders 2004 Best in Class Premier 100 IT Leaders 2005 Best in Class ROI: Do the Math! Salary Survey 2003 Salary Survey 2004 Salary Survey 2005 Security Action Plan Security: Compliance Headaches Security: Proactive Security Security: Risk and Reward Security: Tips From Security Pros Souped-up Security Storage: Battling Complexity Storage: Cheap & Secure Data Stores Storage: Stretching Your Storage Dollars Storage: The Lean Storage Machine Storage: The New Rules of Storage Storage: The Ultimate Backup Guide Supply Chain: Missing Links Supply Chain: RFID Reality Check The Business of Security Web 2.0 Security Wireless: Wireless At Work All Zones Application Performance Zone Business Continuity Zone The File Data Management Zone Security Management Zone The SAS Zone Business Intelligence and Analytics Zone Windows Protection Zone The Enterprise Search Zone Software as a Service Zone See your link here

From Laggard to Leader: Transforming the Data Center From Laggard to Leader: Transforming the Data Center Register for this complimentary webcast today! Go to the webcast  Computerworld Executive Bulletin: Building a Robust Antivirus Defense Download this Executive Bulletin (a $49.95 value) for free, compliments of MessageLabs. (Source: MessageLabs) Antivirus software alone isn't enough to prevent today's speedy, sophisticated virus attacks. Security managers should consider multitiered approaches that include behavior scanning, appliances that check e-mail for worms, and restricting user access to dangerous Web sites. Download this Executive Bulletin (a $49.95 value) for free, compliments of MessageLabs, to learn more. Download this executive briefing  Intercept Spam & Viruses Download this whitepaper to learn how to outsmart spam & viruses, compliments of MessageLabs. (Source: MessageLabs) Register for a complimentary 30 day trial of MessageLabs' new managed Anti-virus and Anti-spam security solutions. MessageLabs guarantees complete protection against all known and unknown email threats. By providing 24 hour support, your business can increase productivity and decrease risk.Register now for a complimentary trial and receive a free datasheet. Download this white paper  White Papers Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. Project Portfolio Management - Boost the value of IT Core Network Services Survey: The Costs and Impacts of DNS and IP Address Management Six Project Metrics Every CIO Should Know for Application Delivery Success View more whitepapers

• IBM launches Bluehouse, a Facebook for business
• Microsoft scales out SQL Server 2008, wants to 'democratize BI'
• iPhone grabs top smart phone spot
• More top stories 

Go Green with Webroot® Perimeter Security SaaS! Webroot Perimeter Security SaaS is a powerful alternative to obsolete on-premise hardware based security solutions. SaaS allows businesses to obtain flexible protection through an expert security provider, solving the problems caused by software, hardware and appliance solutions. Benefits include easier manageability, better protection and guaranteed performance –all at a lower cost. Register for your free copy of the "Why Security SaaS Makes Sense" whitepaper and Go Green with Webroot! Download this white paper now!

Fired up about IT? Join Sharkbait and share your true tales of IT. SharkBait is the place for you to sound off about everything IT – the good, the bad, and the rest of the weird stuff you deal with every day. New baits

"Turning information into a Competitive Advantage" Companies today are realizing that competitive advantage is harder to sustain when based solely on gains in productivity and cost efficiency. The focus is shifting to invest more in business optimization initiatives which rely on trusted information to develop new insights that deliver better business results. But how can this be done efficiently in a business environment across multiple applications and processes. The answer is an Information Agenda - an innovative approach to transforming business information into a strategic asset for competitive advantage. View this webcast now!  See more Webcasts

John Brandon: Google Chrome = Dead, Google Search = Hot I think the browser has become almost inconsequential, a bright blip that has faded faster than my summer tan. ... [more]