Comments on: Do you know the dangers of wireless networks?

By: Rachel

Rachel — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:10:06 +0000

I think that’s the trade off for the massive amount of convenience and accessibility afforded by wireless networking. I’m proud to say that our company has been very strict with our policies with regards to wireless server technology, but I can imagine the possibilities of having to work without the restrictions of a remote connection. Hopefully, in the future, developments in the technology will offer better security solutions.

By: Tim Adams

Tim Adams — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:00:47 +0000

Thanks for this article. This was a sobering way up call for my end. I forwarded this article to our networking specialist as soon as I read it. Although a lot of our company’s sensitive material is still hardwired, I can’t account for all the information saved on our wireless network. I’ll be making sure to check with our specialists first thing tomorrow morning.

We’ve had some minor security breaches before, but hopefully it doesn’t escalate to a magnitude that makes us regret not addressing it sooner.

By: Emmanuel Carabott

Emmanuel Carabott — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:16:34 +0000

@Gaultney

You’re right, ideally it should be randomized as it would definitely be stronger then what a user would choose. The only issue with that is it will be hard to remember for the user and unfortunately it’s a password you will not get to use often so it needs to be something that a user will remember 3 – 6 months down the line when he buys a new device and needs to join it with his network. While certainly weaker having the user select the password is probably a good compromise here between convenience and security.

By: Gaultney

Gaultney — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:34:28 +0000

@Emmanuel

While I agree that vendors should incorporate a default password on their system, I think they should randomize it and not create a generic/uniform password. You can even find a list of generic passwords for most of the wireless modems and router online.

By: Alton Anthony

Alton Anthony — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:03:13 +0000

@Sue

I agree. A lot of people seem to take wireless security for granted, or they just don’t know what they’re doing (or not doing for that matter).

In my neighborhood, I can pick up at least 10 networks, most of them didn’t bother changing the network name (linksys, netgear, etc), a few i got access to because they didn’t bother changing password (password IS password) or something so easily guessed like admin, or 12345678. A couple even not password protected at all! I almost didn’t get my own internet connection because it was too easy to just use the neighbor’s.

People must be educated on network security. IMMEDIATELY.

By: Emmanuel Carabott

Emmanuel Carabott — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:14:31 +0000

Yes, It’s unbelievable. I think vendors should be proactive here and realise their users might be beginners who are afraid to configure anything so as such once they hook it up and it works that’s it.

I think vendors should by default secure the access point with a password or pass phrase which is required on installation unless you specifically state you want it open at which point a little document like a disclaimer explaining what that will really mean should be displayed to the user.

Or else the trend will continue

By: Sue Walsh

Sue Walsh — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 04:28:58 +0000

I work from home and have a secured wireless network. In my neighborhood there are 14 others. Only 5 are secure. The rest are wide open and have their default names like “Linksys”. I shudder to think of the people who own them doing their banking or other such tasks on those wide open networks!