December 12, 2004
Sunday

As Christmas approaches there are bound to be more laptops and computers with wireless capabilities.  These capabilities allow the implementation of a wireless network to also be more common in homes than ever before.  The factor to keep in mind though, if it is easy and convenient for the people in the home then it is also easy and convenient for the people outside the home (very true with wireless). 

The following article from cnn.com cuts right to the point. The technique of seeking out unsecured wireless networks is a hobby for some people in Ketchikan.  What you may not realize is an unsecured wireless network can allow a person to access your financial information, legal information, or anything else of importance to you that might be stored on your computer.  Even worse, it is entirely conceivable for a person who has accessed a wireless network to plant a program on your own computer!  This technique allows a person to use programs which  gather username and passwords to the various web sites you surf.  Does anyone do online banking?

If you run a wireless network at home, the following article outlines a nice step towards wireless security.

Out of the box and into the ether; Many wireless home networks skip security
By Lila King - CNN
Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/10/18/wireless.security/index.html

Rick Grams
Ketchikan, AK - USA

 

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