Way to tell if someone is using my wireless connection?

Question

I just recieved a notice that I have visited 659 porn sites which I never havefrom microsoft explorer). I think my neighbour may be tapping into my supposedly secure wireless network. How can I tell and what can I do? Please help. Thanks

Answer 1

Look at your documentation or contact your router manufacturer. Tell them you want to change your encryption key.

Answer 2

Best Wireless Connection Solution http://internet.customer-supports.com/

Answer 3

I think I've had that same fake popup on my PC. Wanting me to buy their product that discovered a yahoo cookie! You can go to softpedia.com, majorgeeks.com, cnet or zdnet, and search for something like "see who is connected". I got all kinds of software to check out with that search. Netscan Pro 3.3 looked interesting.

Answer 4

1. Smash your neihbors car with a bat
2. Throw bricks at his windows
3. buy a BB rifle and some camoflauge face paint and play target practice
4. Vut all his phone and cable lines from his house
5. To prevent any more porn watching; cut his willy off with a weed-wacker

Answer 5

Make your wireless Internet connection safe from hackers
It�s easy for expert to break
into your connection, hard drive

By LIZ GREENAWALT - GM Today Staff


March 25, 2004


Roger Brotz demonstrated how easy it can be to tap into a wireless network or Internet connection.

CEDARBURG -
You shred documents containing personal information, don�t give out important information over the phone, delete suspicious looking e-mails and generally consider yourself a person aware of identity theft dangers. So how can your computer be putting at risk of possibly becoming an ID theft victim?

Roger Brotz, owner of Strategic Solutions, Inc., a computer consulting company in Cedarburg, said wireless technology might be allowing unwanted people with laptops onto your wireless system. As more people in the area use wireless connections to access the Internet, Brotz said the number of people not securing those connections is becoming a problem.

"I can pass by with my laptop that has a wireless Internet card and I can connect up to your home Internet connection and have access to the Internet," said Brotz. "I could also potentially have access to information on your PC."

While most everyday users of computers most likely would not have the knowledge needed to tap into your computer itself, Brotz said there are hackers that could wiggle their way in. If someone with malicious intentions were able to gain access to your computer, they could potentially release a virus, use your network as a spam relay and possibly retrieve private information off home and business PCs.

One of the worst case scenarios is if a person taps into your home hard drive and finds, for instance, a tax return with your Social Security number. Businesses that don�t secure their PCs well enough can be infected with a virus, or someone can get information off of their hard drives.

"In some cases, Point of Sale (POS) systems now have Windows XP as the operating system," said Brotz. "If the operating system is not configured to be secure and they put their POS on a wireless network, it is conceivable to obtain credit card or other personal information from these systems."

Brotz said he isn�t sure how many wireless networks there are in Cedarburg but in a drive around the city on Tuesday - bordered by Washington Avenue on the east, Western Road on the south, Madison Avenue on the west and Bridge Street on the north - there were at least 23 wireless systems and only seven were secure.

The wireless access points were easily picked up from a laptop in Brotz�s minivan using the "Network Stumbler," a free downloadable program that informs a user of a wireless connection�s presence, strength and whether it is secure.

There are steps wireless users can take to make sure their connections are secure, however. Brotz said that with just about every device involved in the wireless system there are basic instructions in how to secure it, including changing the password on the router, and setting Service Set Identifier numbers and encryption keys.

Configuring all the devices in your home is not hard to do, Brotz said. He said systems are usually left unprotected because the consumer simply doesn�t know about it. "It�s very easy to set up and only takes a little time to secure a system," said Brotz. "Time is relative when it takes as little as a half an hour to secure your home network."

Following these steps will make your wireless connection as secure as it can be, however, it is still not impenetrable. Your AP configuration manual should instruct you on how to configure all these settings.

1. Password protect your router�s configuration page. Most wireless routers use an Internet browser to access and configure the settings. Make sure you password protect this so no one can change your settings. If this has a default login and password, change it.

2. Set the Service Set Identifier (SSID). Your SSID specifies which 802.11 network you are joining. Some systems allow you to specify any SSID as an option so you can join any network. Turn off SSID Broadcasting/Beaconing. By default your router will be broadcasting the name of your network. Turn this off. Every computer in your network must be set with your matching SSID.

3. Use Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption. WEP isn�t completely safe; in fact it can be hacked. WEP uses an encryption key that the router and all wireless cards in your network will use to get access to each other. Key sizes are usually 64 bit or 128 bit, though Dlink does have some with 256 bits. Use the highest encryption rate you have.

4. Set MAC filtering. Every single network interface device is assigned its own alphanumeric serial code called a MAC address (Media Access Control layer.) While it is not impossible, it is usually somewhat laborious for people to change their MAC address. Every access point should have a feature to enable MAC filtering. Usually you will be taken to a list of currently connected devices. From there, you can add their addresses to a list, and once you enable your settings, those are the only devices that your access point will allow to connect. However, this in itself is not perfect.

Your router�s configuration page should be able to tell you what your wireless card�s MAC address is. Jot down the address or addresses if you have more than one wireless connection. In your router�s configuration, enable MAC filtering and add the wireless card(s) MAC address(es) to the list of MAC addresses the router will accept. If your router encounters an MAC address that�s not on the list, it won�t get through.

5. Limit the amount of possible connections to your network. By default, your router will assign each connection using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), an IP address. It will also have a range of IP numbers to assign from. This could be set up by default to allow 100 or so connections to connect. It will have a starting IP address and an ending IP address. Narrow the range down to as many computers and laptops you have in your network.

6. Lower your Broadcast strength. Some routers allow you to change the "performance" or the signal strength of your antenna�s transmitted power. Experiment by lowering your power while still getting a fairly strong signal strength around 90 percent. Try out everywhere you would normally use your laptop, including outside. By reducing the signal strength, there will be less chance of your neighbors getting a strong enough signal to connect to your network.

Source: Roger Brotz, Strategic Solutions, Inc.

This story appeared in the News Graphic on March 25, 2004.