Practical Wi-Fi security : Wireless security options:

As time goes by, it is harder to make the Wi-Fi nets secure, this is due to the fact that every day more and more applications that let information slip away are been created, this is why we will never be really save. What we can do is go unnoticed or make the attack more complicated, maybe in that way we could make them desist.

To start, we must raise the encoding level, by modifying the type of security. In order to be able to do that, we have to change the WEP encoding that comes predetermined in the system to a more potent one like WPA or WPA2; to do that, we open the settings window of our router, it is usually seen in any web site with the URL://192.168.1.1/, we modify it in the section in which we read LAN wireless, in the key manager option we set WPA – PSK and a personal password. Once the password has been installed, in the option “Group Data Privacy” we select the gap where it says TKIP to improve even more the security level. After doing that, we click apply and accept, then we try to log into our router, it will request a password, we introduce it and it is done, we have earned a little bit more of security encoding our signal.

Another security issue we must add to our system is to leak the MAC addresses. A MAC address is like the social number of our network card, with this number the adapter we have can be easily identified without a specific IP number. This method can be hacked, due to the fact it is not very complicated for people who are acquainted on wireless networks, but for people with a user level it is going to be very complicated, because other kind of devices are needed. To start, we must know the MAC number of our Wi-Fi network card to be able to add it to the list of the allowed MAC numbers. To be able to identify it, we have to go to the system symbol gap and write “ipconfig” on the upper part and we will see that there is a sign that says “IP address link”, after these, we will see certain values with this address format (Name of the card: XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX), they are around 12 characters, we have to write them down and then we go to our router’s page and search for the MAC filter gap and copy the MAC number of our card. After we have gone through all this process, we try to connect it, if the verification is successful, we apply and accept; in that way, if someone ones to connect to our network with a MAC number that is not in the list, he or she will be unable to do it.

Another step to ensure that we are imperceptible is making our SSID signal disappear. To be able to do this, we go to our router’s page and we look for the gap where it says SSID, we deactivate the square where it says SSID broadcast. At the moment we do it, the signal will be deactivated; in order to connect our computers again, we look, not from the router but from the user computer, the network icon and we select the option were it says connect manually. After that, we introduce our router’s name (of the former signal) and in the security option we will mark the one that says WPA – PSK. Finally, we enter our passwords, click on the connect gap and we are done, we would have had increased the security level of our network.