When working in a computer based environment, security is one of the main concerns, from home user desktop PCs up to corporate servers and networks. However, when connecting to a wireless network in order to obtain access to the Internet or to a private network, wireless network security has its own particular characteristics. As a result, wireless security has become a necessity for the reason that it is an attempt at preventing unauthorized access to computer resources that are using wireless networks.
For the reason that wireless networks are very common, for both individual users, organizations and public areas, wireless network security is many times overseen and ignored. Due to the fact that many laptop computers have a built-in wireless network interface and virtually anyone, at any time, can turn himself from a normal user to a possible network infiltrator, wireless network security is crucial, especially in the case of networks that rely on transactions of sensitive data.
The lack of wireless network security is one of the primary reasons for identity theft in public wireless Internet access areas as well as a popular way to conduct corporate espionage. Due to the fact that the lack of wireless network security can affect normal PC users as well as large companies and corporations, wireless network security has been evolving up to a step where it represents one of the main concerns when setting up a wireless network.
As an increasing number of wireless network intrusion methods have been made public, the means by which an attacker can steal private data or gain unauthorized access to various forms of digital resources grow exponentially. However, wireless network security has to be implemented in particular ways, depending from one network to another.
Regardless if the attack on a wireless network is an accidental association, malicious association or a targeted, more complex, man-in-the-middle attack, a decent degree of wireless network security and generic user level precautions can save a lot of time, money and effort. For this reason, the implementation of certain wireless network security settings is recommended to be considered at the wireless network setup stage, in order to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
WEP ( Wired Equivalent Privacy ) used to be one of the main options for wireless security. however in today’s world it is not hard to crack and should no longer be used
WPA ( Wi-Fi Protected Access ) offers far more security then WEP and all new devices can support this option. Please note that some old hardware out there may not support this option. A few gaming systems come to mind. This type of security is just as easy to setup as WEP and you should consult your manufactures guide on how to do this. One nice option of this is you can set your own pass phrase. So instead of having some complicated 16 digit or 32 digit number and alpha characters you can use a phrase you can remember. There are several variations of this type of encryption out there.
In most cases it takes less then 3 minutes to setup encryption on your router.
If you are already connected to your wireless device you can copy and paste one of the following url’s into a new browser window. Chances are one of these are the correct address to your routers interface.
192.168.1.1
192.168.2.1
192.168.0.1
For the correct default user name and password you should consult your user manual or manufactures website. Another great site to check out is this wireless default password site.