Wireless security question

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If you're targeted by a particular person, sure... but there's no reason for the random lion/hacker to attack specifically you... they're going to attack the slowest member of the herd: someone who has left his/her router at the default settings.

 

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Yep, yep... hacker gets close... sees a default SSID... hacker thinks, aha! I know what the default IP address is for that brand of router!... associates with the WAP... gets an IP address in the default IP address range...... browses to the default IP address for that brand of router... uses the default username and password... ta-da! Hacker is in.

If all you do is change the default SSID, does that make you a LOT more secure? Heck no. A hacker could still perform the above steps and break in. But the difference is this: if a wardriver sees your SSID labeled as DARKSIDE, even though you are running your access point open, he's not gonna automatically think, "Hey, this guy probably left all his defaults on"... he's more likely to just think, "This dude has decided to leave his WAP open so others can use his pipe." But if he sees an SSID of NETGEAR or LINKSYS... he's gonna think, "What a n00b! I can hack this WAP!"

 

Low hanging fruit, indeed.

However, hackers aren't *always* looking for the easy target, and Security through Obscurity should never be considered a major step. One can argue that open doors rarely hold value behind, so continue to at least what zeb suggests.

 

Agreed, it's not a major step. It's just "the very least" you can do... which isn't much at all.

Personally, I lock my wireless network down tighter than Dick's hatband.

 

In regards to accessing the router page via wirelss and another reason it probably shouldnt be braodcast, you dont even need to lump something as huge as a laptop around with you, the admin router page can be access from a something like a PSP, and im assuming similar wireless internet devices. So not only should be wary of something sat outside in the dark with a laptop, look out for those PSP fiends as well