How secure are wireless network in terms of security ?

How secure are wireless network in terms of security ?

Wireless network system is mainly depends on it’s owner and if you are a user, just it take little. You can use any internet security to avoid the problems and any security threats. For a owner there are lot of thing to know and you have to know that every people in the world is not honest perhaps more people is dishonest. The first thing of defense for your Wire less network is encryption. Do you know about the WPA, WEP? You have to know about them. If you know about this that’s better if not you has to browse them in Google but I recommend you to use WPA as it is easy to creak WEP.

How secure are wireless network in terms of security ?

Hi Brian Obwocha,

Nothing is Secure mostly in wireless Networks.  Creators of these managed to built to be more secure than others.

Thus WIRED NETWORKS are more secured than WIRELESS NETWORKS because wireless radio signals passed through the air and are naturally easier to interrupt and also most wireless LAN passed through exterior walls, streets and even in parking lots.  Network engineered questioned the security of Wireless because of the open-air wireless communication.  How ever Experts says wireless now adays are more secured compared before because of the use of WEP and WPA.  for them to protect it's content form snoopers.  And somewhat filters or deny network request  from unwanted clients.   However,  every user must decide for themselves whatever the risk of it or decide according to their needs.

How secure are wireless network in terms of security ?

All computer networks ever built are more or less vulnerable in terms of security. Some networks are built and managed much more securely than others. Wireless networks, in truth, offers less security than wired networks. In wired connections electrical signals or pulses are sent through cables. Whereas in wireless connections radio signals move through the air and so they are naturally easier to intercept. But with some proper security measures, wireless network securities can be made secure enough to be used in the vast majority of homes, and many businesses. Following are some simple steps for handling wireless network security.

– Change the Administrator Password: Almost all routers and access points have an administrator password that's needed to log into the device and modify any configuration settings. Most devices use a weak default password like "password" or the manufacturer's name, and some don't have a default password at all. The default passwords are easily obtained and because so many people don’t bother to take the simple step of changing them they are usually what intruders try first. Make sure you change the default password on your wireless router / access point to something that is not easily guessed like your last name.

– Change the System ID: Devices come with a default system ID called the SSID (Service Set Identifier) or ESSID (Extended Service Set Identifier). It is necessary to change this to something else as it is easy for a intruder to find out what the default identifier is for each manufacturer of wireless equipment. Use something unique- not your name or something easily guessed.

– Disable Identifier Broadcasting: Most WLAN access points and routers automatically (and continually) broadcast the network's name, or SSID (Service Set IDentifier). This makes setting up wireless clients extremely convenient since you can locate a WLAN without having to know what it's called, but it will also make your WLAN visible to any wireless systems within range of it. Turning off SSID broadcast for your network makes it invisible to your neighbours and passers-by. Check the manual for your hardware and figure out how to disable broadcasting.

– Enable WPA encryption instead of WEP: WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) and WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) encrypt your data so that only the intended recipient is supposed to be able to read it. WEP has many holes and can easily be manipulated. 128-bit keys impact performance slightly without a significant increase in security so 40-bit (or 64-bit on some equipment) encryption is just as well. As with all security measures there are ways around it, but by using encryption you will keep the casual intruders out of your systems. WPA provides much better protection and is also easier to use, since your password characters aren't limited to 0-9 and A-F as they are with WEP. If possible, you should use WPA encryption (most older equipment can be upgraded to be WPA compatible). WPA fixes the security flaws in WEP.

– Restrict Unnecessary Traffic: Many wireless routers have built-in firewalls. They help create one more line of defense, although they are not the most technically advanced firewalls. Read the manual for your hardware and learn how to configure your router to only allow incoming or outgoing traffic that you have approved.

– Use MAC filtering for access control: MAC addresses are unique to specific network adapters, unlike IP addresses. So by turning on MAC filtering you can limit network access to only your systems (or those you know about). In order to use MAC filtering you need to find (and enter into the router or AP) the 12-character MAC address of every system that will connect to the network, so it can be inconvenient to set up, especially if you have a lot of wireless clients or if your clients change a lot. MAC addresses can be "spoofed" (imitated) by a knowledgeable person, so while it's not a guarantee of security, it does add another hurdle for potential intruders to jump.

– Patch and Protect Your PC’s: Personal firewall software and anti-virus software should be installed on your computer. Note that it is very important that you keep the anti-virus software up to date. New viruses are discovered daily and anti-virus software vendors generally release updates at least once a week. You also must keep up to date with patches for known security vulnerabilities. Windows Update can be used to try and help keep you current with patches for Microsoft operating systems.

The above steps should be good enough to cover the security issues of a general wireless network. Obviously every home or business must determine for themselves the level of risk they are comfortable in taking when implementing a wireless network. The better a wireless network is administered, the more secure it becomes.

How secure are wireless network in terms of security ?

Wireless network is risky, same goes with wired network. All the vulnerabilities of wire networks exist in wireless networks too.  Unauthorized intruders can intercept and gain access, sensitive information can be disclosed if encryption and other protective mechanisms between wireless devices are weak or vulnerable. It is important for users to be aware of this. Intruders can attack against wireless devices in the network and consume network bandwidth, that is why in hotspots where you get free WiFi connection may be slow when a lot of users are connected to the network.

Wireless connections are widely used because of flexibility, portability and productivity.
People who can use your wireless networks  are people who have wireless devices; such as handheld phones that has wireless capabilities, common devices are laptops, ipads, and iphones.

To have a secure a wireless network (though not 100% secure, at least it lessens the vulnerability of your connection) you need to:
1. Change Default Admin Passwords (and/or Usernames).  Manufacturers provide Web pages that allow owners to configure their wireless network settings: filter MAC addresses that can connect, restricted, or that allows the owner to set limit as to how many number of users can connect to their Wifi.
2. Change the default SSID.  SSID would be your network name.  The default name would depend on the manufacturer of your router.  Take linksys for example, normally it is linksys or with the last 3 or 4 digits of the device's MAC address or SN number.  When someone sees your SSID and is poorly configured or not secured, they are more likely to invade your network.  So it is important that you change your SSID or network name.
3. Turn on WPA/WEP Encryption.  This is vital.  WEP, for me is one of the most commonly used (I have a lot of customers and I mean lots, in my 4 years of technical support for modems and routers :)) type os encryption.  Some older wireless access points do not support WPA.  Verify if your wireless network router or other access point supports WPA.  If not, I suggest you change yours.  There are 2 types of WiFi Protected Access: WPA and WPA2.  WEP/WPA are passcodes that users need to enter to allow them to connect to your wireless network.
4. Enable MAC Address Filtering. 
Each device has a unique MAC address, this includes routers too.  Routers keep track of the MAC addresses of all devices that connect to it.  This is one way to lessen the vulnerability of your network.  This portion allows you to either limit the number of users to connect to your WiFi or to choose which device gets an invitation to connect to your network.
5. Disable your SSID Broadcast.   This means hiding your network name or your wireless connection from unauthorized users.
6. Do not Auto-Connect to Open Wi-Fi Network, such as free wireless hotspot or your neighbor's router, this exposes your computer to security risks.  This may not be normally enabled, but most computer have a setting available to connect you automatically without notifying you.  This setting should not be enabled except in temporary situations, like your private home WiFi network or Office network.
7. Enable Firewalls on Each Computer and Router. Modern network routers contain built-in firewall, option also exists to disable them.  Ensure that your router's firewall is turned on.

If you hard reset your router it will bring back the settings to default.  In most cases this will reduce the lifespan of your router, because this brings static to the hardware, thus affecting the firmware.

How secure are wireless network in terms of security ?

Hi Brian Obwocha

My recommendation side by side these solutions also check out this Techyv post to get more information according to your question.

Network security: using WPA over WEP