Q. I just set up a wireless network at my home. Somebody told me that these networks are easily ‘hacked’ and that by using a wireless network my data is not secure. How true is this and what can I do to protect myself?
A. Wireless networking has rapidly become more prevalent as it has become more affordable. The problem is that most people deploying wireless networks do not fully understand the technology and the ramifications of wireless data transfers.
Wireless right out of the box and set up using all the default settings is about the least secure thing you can imagine. Encryption is off by default and the access point is wide open to connections from other wireless devices.
To protect yourself you must read the documentation. Change the defaults and enable data encryption and even consider using the option to limit access only to computers you own using MAC address filtering.
The problem for most people is that it seems too hard…the steps are too complicated. Many times convenience leads to compromise. But it does not have to.
Pay now…or pay later.
For more info read up on the subject at www.80211-planet.com