Cisco Linksys WRT310N - Chapter 2: Wireless Security Checklist; General Network Security Guidelines; Additional Security Tips

Chapter 2
Wireless Security Checklist
6
Wireless-N Gigabit Router
Ch
apter 2:
Wire
l
ess Securit
y
C
h
ec
kl
is
t
W
ire
l
ess networ
k
s are convenient an
d
eas
y
to insta
ll
, so
homes with hi
g
h-speed Internet access are adoptin
g
them
a
t a rapid pace. Because wireless networking operates by
sending in
f
ormation over radio waves, it can be more
v
u
ln
e
r
ab
l
e
to
in
t
r
ude
r
s
t
h
a
n
a
t
r
ad
i
t
i
o
n
a
l wir
ed
n
et
w
o
rk
.
Like signals from your cellular or cordless phones, signals
f
rom
y
our wireless network can also be intercepted. Since
you cannot physically prevent someone
f
rom connecting
to your wireless network, you need to take some additional
steps to
k
eep
y
our networ
k
secure.
1. Change the default wireless
network name or SSID
W
ireless devices have a default wireless network name
or Service Set Identi
f
ier (SSID) set b
y
the
f
actor
y
. This
i
s the name o
f
your wireless network, and can be up
to 32 characters in length. Linksys wireless products
use
l
in
k
s
y
s as the de
f
ault wireless network name. You
should chan
g
e the wireless network name to somethin
g
u
nique to distinguish your wireless network from other
wire
l
ess networ
k
s t
h
at ma
y
exist aroun
d
y
ou,
b
ut
d
o not
u
se personal in
f
ormation (such as your Social Security
n
umber) because this information may be available for
a
n
y
one to see when browsing
f
or wireless networks.
2. Change the default password
For wire
l
ess pro
d
ucts suc
h
as access points an
d
routers,
you will be asked
f
or a password when you want to change
their settings. These devices have a default password set
by
the
f
actor
y
. The Links
y
s de
f
ault password is a
d
mi
n
.
Hackers know these de
f
aults and may try to use them
to access your wireless device and change your networ
k
settings. To t
h
wart an
y
unaut
h
orize
d
c
h
anges, customize
the device’s password so it will be hard to
g
uess
.
3. Enable MAC address filtering
Linksys routers give you the ability to enable Media Access
Control (MAC) address filtering. The MAC address is a
u
nique series o
f
numbers and letters assigned to ever
y
n
etworkin
g
device. With MAC address
f
ilterin
g
enabled,
wireless network access is provided solely for wireless
devices with speci
f
ic MAC addresses. For example,
y
ou can
speci
f
y the MAC address o
f
each computer in your home
so that only those computers can access your wireless
n
etwor
k
.
4. Enable encryption
Encr
y
ption protects
d
ata transmitte
d
over a wire
l
ess
n
etwork. Wi-Fi Protected Access
(
WPA/WPA2
)
and Wired
Equivalency Privacy (WEP) offer different levels of security
f
or wireless communication
.
A
network encrypted with WPA/WPA2 is more secure
than a network encrypted with WEP, because WPA/WPA2
u
ses d
y
namic ke
y
encr
y
ption. To protect the in
f
ormation
a
s it passes over the airwaves, you should enable the
highest level of encryption supported by your networ
k
equ
i
pment.
W
EP is an older encryption standard and may be the
only option available on some older devices that do not
support WPA.
Genera
l
Networ
k
Securit
y
Gui
d
e
l
ine
s
W
ireless network security is useless if the underlying
n
etwor
k
is not secure.
Password protect all computers on the network and
s
i
ndividually password protect sensitive files
.
C
h
ange passwor
d
s on a regu
l
ar
b
asis
.
s
Install anti-virus so
f
tware and personal
f
irewall
s
software.
Disable
f
ile sharing (peer-to-peer). Some applications
s
m
ay open
f
ile sharing without your consent and/or
knowledge.
Additional Security Tip
s
Keep wireless routers, access points, or gateways away
s
f
rom exterior walls and windows
.
T
urn wire
l
ess routers, access points, or gatewa
y
s
s
o
ff
when they are not being used (at night, during
vacations)
.
Use strong passp
h
rases t
h
at are at
l
east eig
h
t c
h
aracters
s
i
n len
g
th. Combine letters and numbers to avoid usin
g
standard words that can be found in the dictionary.
WEB: F
o
r m
o
r
e
in
fo
rm
at
i
o
n
o
n wir
e
l
ess
s
ecurity, visit www.linksys.com/securit
y