We bring you the best ways to lock down your wireless
network and protect it against threats.
If you operate a wireless network for your home or business, it’s important to ward it against opportunistic hackers seeking to steal your data or hijack your Wi-Fi for their
own nefarious purposes.
To get started, you’ll need to log in to your router’s administrative console by
typing the router’s IP address into your Web browser’s address bar. Most routers
use a common address like 192.168.1.1, though alternatives like 192.168.0.1 and
192.168.2.1 are also common. Check the manual that came with your router
to determine the correct IP address; if you’ve lost your manual, you can usually
find the appropriate IP address on the manufacturer’s website.
Change your passwords
The first step in securing your network is simple: change your passwords! Default
router passwords like “admin” are seductively simple to remember, but that means they’re equally simple for a hacker to guess; there’s even a public database containing default login credentials for more than 450 networking equipment vendors.
While no password is foolproof, you can build a better password by combining numbers and letters into a complex and unique string. Remember to change both your Wi-Fi password (the string guests type in to access your network) as well as your router administrator password (the one you enter to log into the administration
console—these two may sometimes be the same). We suggest that you change your passwords to something completely unique—no pet names—then write them down on a piece of paper and tape it to your router for safekeeping.
Change your SSID
A name, known as a Service Set ID (or SSID). The simple act of changng that
name discourages serial hackers from targeting you, because wireless networks with default names like “linksys” are more likely to lack custom passwords or encryption, making them a tempting target for opportunistic hackers. Don’t bother disabling SSID broadcasting; you might be able to ward off casual Wi-Fi leechers that way, but any hacker with a wireless spectrum scanner can still find your SSID by listening in as your devices communicate with your router.
Enable WPA2 encryption
If possible, you should always encrypt your network traffic using WPA2 encryption,
which offers better security than the older WEP and WPA technologies. If you have to choose between multiple versions of WPA2— like WPA2 Personal or WPA2 Enterprise—always pick the setting most appropriate for your network. Unless you’re setting up a large-scale business network with a RADIUS server, you’ll want to stick with WPA2 Personal encryption.
Enable MAC filtering
Every device that accesses the Internet has a Media Access Control (MAC)
address, which is a unique identifier composed of six pairs of alphanumeric characters. You can limit your network to only accept specific devices by turning on MAC filtering, which is also a great tip for optimising your wireless network.
To determine the MAC address of any Windows PC, open a command prompt by selecting Run from the Start Menu, typing cmd and hitting Enter (Windows 7 users can just type cmd in the Start Menu search box). Next, type ipconfig /all at the command prompt and press Enter to bring up your IP settings. If you’re using Mac OS X, open System Preferences and Click Network. From there, Select “Wi-Fi” from the list in the left-hand column (“Airport” in Snow Leopard or earlier), then click “Advanced…” in the lower left, then look for the “Airport ID” or “Wi-Fi ID”. If you need to find the MAC address of a more limited device like a printer or smartphone, check the manual to determine where that data is listed. Thankfully, most modern routers will display a list of devices connected to your network along with their MAC address in the administrator console to make it easier to identify your devices. If in doubt, refer to your router’s documentation for specific instructions.
Limit DHCP leases to your devices
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (or DHCP) makes it easy for your network to
manage how many devices can connect to your Wi-Fi network at any given time by limiting the number of IP addresses your router can assign to devices on your network.
Tally how many WiFi-capable devices you have in your home, then find the DHCP
settings page in your router administrator console and update the number of “client
leases” available to the number of devices you own, plus one for guests. Reset your
router and you’re good to go.
Block WAN requests
Finally, make sure to enable the “Block WAN Requests” option to conceal your network from other Internet users. With this feature enabled your router will not respond to IP requests by remote users, preventing them from gleaning potentially useful information about your network. Experts point put that the ‘WAN’ is basically the Internet at large, and you want to block random people out there from initiating a conversation with your router. Once you’ve taken these steps to secure your wireless network, lock it down for good by disabling remote administration privileges through the administrator console. That forces anyone looking to modify your network settings to plug a PC directly into the wireless router, making it nearly impossible for hackers to mess with your settings and hijack your network.
Update your passwords every six months or so, use intrusion software like NetStumbler to periodically test your networks for fresh vulnerabilities and enjoy
your new-found peace of mind.
