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Five Common WiFi Security Mistakes

WiFi networking is convenient and liberating, and essential if you have a laptop or tablet. But if you are not careful, using wireless Internet can leave you open to hackers and unauthorized moochers of your Internet service. Here are five of the biggest mistakes that people make with WiFi, and how to avoid them. Is Your WiFi Wide Open?

If Cars are stopping in front your house, and staying for 10 or 15 minutes. There is no reason for anyone to stop there. If you check your wireless router, you may find that your dealer had left it wide open. Without a wifi password, anyone could connect! MISTAKE #1: Failing to enable encryption on your WiFi network lets anyone within range of your wireless router join your network. If file and printer sharing are also enabled, random passersby may be able to sift through everything on every computer on your home or office network. Unencrypted WiFi also allows eavesdropping on your Internet traffic even if the snoop is not connected to your network. Data passing between a computer and a wireless router is broadcast in all directions as far as several hundred feet.

Moochers on unsecured WiFi networks may slow the traffic of authorized users, or even download illegally while leaving the network’s owner with the legal consequences. For these reasons, it is vital to set up your wireless network to use one of the encryption methods built into all wireless routers.

MISTAKE #2: While you are locking down your wifi signal, do not make the mistake of choosing WEP, the oldest and weakest encryption method. It can be cracked in about two minutes using software easily found online. Unfortunately, WEP is often the first option on a router’s list of available encryption methods, so do not be lazy and choose it for that reason. Use WPA2 encryption with the Personal (PSK) option, for the best protection.

MISTAKE #3: Weak encryption keys (passwords) are a related mistake. Strong encryption is of no use if a hacker can obtain your password by brute force attempts or by guessing it. Some wireless routers come with a default (factory set) password like "**__admin__**" or **__"password__**". And sometimes, internet service providers will set your wifi password to your home phone number. Passwords like these are trivial for even the most clueless hackers to guess.

MISTAKE #4: Disabling the firewall built into most modern routers in hope of getting faster Internet is a fourth mistake. Firewalls keep unauthorized outsiders from getting into your network. They do not appreciably slow your Internet connection. Do not disable your router’s firewall. MISTAKE #5: Relying on stealth alone to escape hackers’ attention is a mistake that some people make. Some people think that they can get away without encryption or a password on their wifi, just by hiding their wifi router's SSID. Yes, most routers have a setting to disable the broadcasting of the router’s SSID (name) so that other WiFi users within range will not “see” it on the list of available wireless connections.

Disabling the SSID is not a bad idea. It will make your wifi signal invisible to most casual passers-by. But the SSID is included with many kinds of Internet traffic, so a hacker with free "sniffer" software can intercept and discover your router’s SSID.

Similarly, using MAC address filtering to allow only specific devices to connect to your network is not a reliable method either. MAC addresses are easily spoofed and, like SSIDs, are embedded in Internet traffic that can be intercepted. MAC address filtering is a good supplementary security precaution, but do not rely on it alone