Understanding Wireless Security And P2P Networks

This week in computer security Class we learned about how to secure your wireless network and p2p file sharing. In this weeks entry I will explore these two topics.

Securing Your Network 
When using a wi-fi connection you want to secure your network so other people are not able to “piggy back” which is someone using your internet connection to get online on their computer. Some people may piggy back because they can not afford internet or just don’t want to pay for it but others seek out unprotected wi-fi connections so law enforcement cannot find them when they participate in criminal activity online. To secure your connection from this you should :


Change Your SSID (Service Set Identifier)
Change it from the manufactures default setting to something obsecure so hackers will not be as prone to break into your signal because this shows you at least took the standard security precautions, as per say someone who’s SSID is say the manufactures name its more than likely than that the person is using the default password which is that much easier to crack.


Turn On Encryption
The two wireless encryption standards are WEP AND WPA.WEP it turns out (which my laptop happens to have) is not as secure as WEP and for less than a hundred bucks you can buy a program online to crack into its network. WPA is the better of the two as it is more recent and has a more secure connection.


Change The Default Administrative Username and Password
The common default name for wireless routers is usually administrator. Change the name to something that is easy for you to remember.


Shut off Wireless Router When Not In Use
This reduces the chance of someone hacking into your network because there is no network to hack into and it resets the IP address of the router making it more difficult to trace.
　


Since this weeks lesson I have taken extra precautions to secure my wireless network as I did not know many of the different things that I was doing that were leaving my computer vulnerable. One I changed the default name of my wireless router. I like many just plugged it in and began to use it thinking that “hey it came with a password why change it“. This is what every hacker is looking for the people who rely on the router having the necessary security settings right out of the box. 2. I also changed the password which I had left as the default setting which was “1234567890” pretty easy to have guessed right?. 3. Now knowing that even with these precautions my connections my signal is running WEP which is outdated and not as secure as WPA its definitely time to look into another security type. Until then I’ll take extra precautions like I’ve turned off the auto save to my passwords and usernames and I have cut back a bit on online shopping due to my somewhat rising paranoia of the “black hatters” out there looking to steal my life digitally.

The link belwo gives a better understanding of the diffrence between WEP and WPA.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs6Oq59litc
　


P2P File Sharing




We all have done it. At least once. Who can resist because if you’re a music lover like me you’d be giving Itunes hundreds of dollars a month to download your favorite songs past and present. Have you ever been somewhere and a song you haven’t heard in it seems like forever comes on and you just have to download it? Well next time just pay the .99 cents. P2P networks allow multiple users to share files readily. The most popular are Limewire, Bearshare, Warez, and Imesh. When downloading from these sites you open up your computer to attacks. While downloading malicious software can be easily installed costing you more in the long run. Not only will your computer be messed up but you could face up to five years in jail and $250,000 in fines. According to "Cyber Crime Fighters Tale From The Trenches" music pricay accounts for 12.5 billion dollars of economic loss per year . I f you were losing that much money a year i'm sure you would levrl hefty fines too. So next time you think of downloading that song think twice because you never know what your actually downloading. A good rule of thumb not just for computers but  life in general is NOTHING IS FREE!!!.