.FLYINGHEAD ONLINE SAFETY
.TITLE The dangers of wireless computing for the unsuspecting
.AUTHOR Jessica McCurdy Crooks
.SUMMARY While wireless technology has many benefits there are many dangers as well. In this helpful article, regular contributor Jessica McCurdy Crooks does her best to scare the stuffing right out of you.
.OTHER
It’s not exactly news, but there is no doubt that wireless networking is pretty much the de facto way of communicating in today’s electronic age. Gone are the days, or almost gone, when everyone connects to the Internet or a network using wires and cables.
With the growth in home-based businesses and telecommuting, the need to access the Internet while on the go has also helped to fuel the growth of wireless computing.
While wireless technology has many benefits there are many dangers as well.
.TEASER Tap here and be afraid. Be very afraid…
.H1 What, really, is wireless computing?
Wireless computing refers to the creation of networks without using network cables. Instead radio frequency signals or other electromagnetic waves are utilized. These waves transmit information between a computer and the Internet.
Since these signals exist all around us, they can be intercepted, changed, and generally mucked with.
.H1 The dangers of wireless
One of modern life’s great paradoxes is this: tools of technology that help to make life easier often possess inherent dangers as well. This is true of Internet technology and even more so of wireless technology.
Here’s one example: less than half of home owners who use wireless technology have any protection in place. Many other users of wireless networks think that there is little harm in someone taking a free ride off of their neighbors’ unprotected networks to simply surf the net — or do other, much nastier things.
When others access your unsecured wireless network, there are many potential risks.
Some of the dangers inherent in using wireless are:
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET Private information can be intercepted in email. This can have numerous repercussions such as identity theft. Way, way not fun.
.BULLET Your passwords and usernames can be captured, which allows intruders access to financial information such as online banking data.
.BULLET Your network and your computer can be the unwitting host of spam email that seems to be sent by you.
.BULLET Your wireless network can be used to mask illegal activities. A good computer hacker can hide behind a wireless user’s IP address and send spam or even a DoS (Denial of Service) attack. When this happens it will seem to be coming from the real owner of the network based on the ISP’s assignment of an IP address. It is not always easy to prove you’re not the guilty party when this happens.
.BULLET Hackers can use your unsecured network to download your files or worse upload files to your computer. Malicious persons could upload files such as pornographic images of children to your machine. Proving the files are not yours would be difficult.
.BULLET Using DNS poisoning an intruder can redirect your DNS server settings to the attacker’s own DNS (Domain Name Server). Then, everytime you think you’re going to PayPal, eBay, or your bank, for example, you’re really entering your private data on into their criminal database.
.BULLET Some hackers who access your network do so just for the purpose of infecting your computer with a virus.
.END_LIST
And the list goes on. But you get the idea. Unsecured networks are bad.
In addition, when others access your unsecured network, they invariably slow down the your access — both because they’re probably not running using an optimal configuration, and because they’ve decided to download all 435 episodes of Law & Order using your pipe. This access can also cost you money, since some wireless users are charged a per-megabyte rate by their Internet Service Providers (ISP).
.H1 Corporate networks are also at risk
While most corporate entities use security measures such as firewalls to protect their wireless networks, intrusions can still occur. If a corporate wireless network is accessed illegally, valuable and sensitive information can be leaked or stolen.
.H1 It’s also dangerous to use free networks
Just as dangerous as not securing your own wireless network is using all those free wireless networks. Some of these free networks were set up by hackers with one purpose in mind, stealing your data and information. These free hotspots are great for channeling. Channeling allows hackers to act as middle men in the network connection and as such capture vital information.
Other wireless networks, like those in schools, coffee shops, restaurants, and hotels are also often unsecured. The organization providing the network is doing so for legitimate reasons, but lurkers loiter online, looking for leaks and loopholes they can exploit.
.H1 The bottom line
The bottom line is that many wireless networks are unsecured. Often, neither the owners nor the users users have taken any steps whatsoever to protect themselves. This situation is only going to get worse, since just about anyone can set up a wireless network, especially at home.
But turning on a wireless router is one thing. Making sure it’s safe is another. Knowing the dangers is not enough, it is equally important to know how to protect yourself. A follow-up article will address steps that must be taken to make wireless computing as safe as possible.
In the meantime, if you’re not sure what to do, call your ISP and have them walk you through the steps necessary to safeguard your wireless network.
And for those of you in the United States, Thanksgiving is coming up next month, so start collecting your tech support questions. There’s bound to be someone at Thanksgiving dinner who’d prefer to do nothing more than forego his turkey in favor of a day of intense, familial tech support.
.BIO
