Security threats Toolkit

Story: Does Wi-Fi security matter?

Posted by: Brian Wittington (Wednesday 28 June 2006, 3:05 PM)

The disadvantage Wi-Fi security has is that when people use your connection, monitor/capture your data, make your machine a zombie for use in attacks against others...most people don't know. Not alerting the user is key to continuing to exploit them.

Also people don't realize they are literally broadcasting all their data..e-mail, IM, company data right through the air and a 14 year old with a 10 dollar antenna can see everything..and I mean everything...from a long ways away. Go to wigle.net. look up "cantenna" on the Internet...uh..people..there is a problem whether you want to deal or not. And, yes, I've seen it done

But..If people can't tell anything is wrong they figure they don't have a problem. Firewalls, anti-virus, anti-spam...all these things have had to gain public awareness over years. Their advanatge..especially with the last two is you could definitely tell you had a problem!

Problem too is the misinformation out there. WEP, SSID concealement, mac filtering..too many acronyms and none of them work.

There are easy cheap solutions out there. www.witopia.net is one. they were writtten up in Techworld.