The Importance of Wireless Security

I spent some time working with a client today who could not access his home wireless network. His Internet connection was working, there was no wireless security on the router and the signal was excellent but he just could not connect to it. As it turns out, someone had accessed his router and set up mac filtering essentially locking the owner out of the device. This was a good reminder of why it is so important to take the necessary steps to secure your network.

Many residential broadband consumers are setting up wireless home networks using wireless routers bought from the local electronics store. One common selling point is how easy they are to setup. While this is true, the majority of these devices default configuration leaves your network unsecured. This means that anyone with a wireless-ready computer can use your network. Your neighbors, or a nearby hacker, could access your printer, network shares or any device on your network. Aside from the security risk, if an unauthorized person uses your network to commit a crime or send spam, the activity will be traced back to your account not theirs.

Bottom line, if you're setting up one of these wireless routers Take the time to set up WEP, or if possible, WPA security. It is not very complicated to setup and will go a long way to protecting your privacy.