University expert / WARP Manager issues advice on wi-fi theft
Source: Express and Star, May 2007
A University of Wolverhampton IT expert has issued advice on protecting wireless networks following reports of the first “official” wi-fi theft.
Tony Proctor, of the School of Computing and Information Technology, is urging people to protect their networks after two people in Redditch were cautioned last week for using wireless broadband without permission.
He said: “The danger is that someone could access your home or business computer network without your knowledge. If someone does gain access, many things could happen. Often it is people looking for free internet access but the consequences could be that your computer is used for illegal activities like storing music and video files or child pornography, or that your own personal information is compromised.”
Mr Proctor has outlined measures that people can take to make their wireless networks much more difficult to attack. “It is important to set encryption on your network so that the messages are sent in code form, “ he said. “The most effective means is currently WPA but even if you only have the older WEP, you should still enable it.”
He said wireless networks were usually set up to broadcast their presence by default through a service set identifier (SSID) so it was important to disable this.
Any device that connects to a computer network also has a unique address called a MAC address. “Your network should be set up so that it only allows these recognised addresses access,” said Mr Proctor. “You should also be able to reduce the range of the signal by reducing the power output.”
He also stressed the importance of changing default passwords, as the default passwords for the Administrator accounts are common knowledge.
Mr Proctor said the precautionary measures may at first seem difficult to do but web searches could assist with this. He said: “The overall advice is that wireless networks are insecure but they are very popular because of the tremendous flexibility they offer, so the important thing is to set them up in such a way that they are not entirely open to all.”
Mr Proctor is part of the University’s WARP (Warnings, Advice and Reporting Point) Network, which is a service to provide early warning of computer system vulnerabilities, best practice and reporting of computer related incidents.
Businesses in need of general advice on information security, or interested in finding out more about the WARP, should email t.proctor@wlv.ac.uk or telephone 01902 518586.