In recent years, wireless networking has become more available, affordable, and easy to use. Home users are adopting wireless technology in great numbers. On-the-go laptop users often find free wireless connections in places like coffee shops and airports.
If you’re using wireless technology, or considering making the move to wireless, you should know about the security threats you may encounter. This paper highlights those threats, and explains what you need to know to use wireless safely, both in the home and in public. You will find definitions of underlined terms in the glossary at the end of this paper.
_____________________________________________________________________
Home Wireless Threats
By now, you should be aware of the need to secure traditional, wired internet connections.* If you’re planning to move to a wireless connection in your home, take a moment to consider what you’re doing: You’re connecting a device to your DSL or cable modem that broadcasts your internet connection through the air over a radio signal to your computers. If traditional wired connections are prey to security problems, think of the security problems that arise when you open your internet connection to the airwaves. The following sections describe some of the threats to home wireless networks.
_______________________________________________________________________
Piggybacking
If you fail to secure your wireless network, anyone with a wireless-enabled computer within range of your wireless access point can hop a free ride on the internet over your wireless connection. The typical indoor broadcast range of an access point is 150 – 300 feet. Outdoors, this range may extend as far as 1,000 feet. So, if your neighborhood is closely settled, or if you live in an apartment or condominium, failure to secure your wireless network could potentially open your internet connection to a surprising number of users.
_______________________________________________________________________
Wardriving
Wardriving is a specific kind of piggybacking. The broadcast range of a wireless access point can make internet connections possible outside your home, even as far away as your street. Savvy computer users know this, and some have made a hobby out of driving through cities and neighborhoods with a wireless-equipped computer—sometimes with a powerful antenna—searching for unsecured wireless networks. This practice is nicknamed “wardriving.” Wardrivers often note the location of unsecured wireless networks and publish this information on web sites. Malicious individuals wardrive to find a connection they can use to perpetrate illegal online activity using your connection to mask their identities. They may also directly attack your computer, as noted in the “Piggybacking” section above.
