Given the scope of wireless technologies today, it’s no wonder protecting them has become an involved and arduous endeavor.
Wi-Fi, one of the most popular wireless technologies is also the modality most likely to be tapped into by cybercriminals. Wi-Fi access points and routers can provide hackers with a convenient way in.
That’s because Wi-Fi signals are often broadcast beyond the walls of buildings and homes and out into the streets — an enticing invitation for hackers. This is why wardriving (drive by hacking) has become a very popular cybercrime.
Wardriving is the act of searching for Wi-Fi wireless networks by an attacker usually in a moving vehicle, using a laptop or smartphone.
Hackers that use this technique to access data from your computer — banking and personal information — that could lead to identity theft, financial loss, or even a criminal record (if they use your network for nefarious purposes). Any computer or mobile device that is connected to your unprotected network could be accessible to the hacker.
Software for wardriving is freely available on the internet. The way wardriving works is the attacker simply drives around with a laptop computer containing a WNIC, an antenna and software that scans the area for SSIDs. Using this method, it’s not very difficult to detect access points that haven’t been secured.
Wireless security professionals say the best way to secure your Wi-Fi at home and in business is by deploying stronger encryption. Some Wi-Fi access points still offer the older WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) standard of protection, but it is fundamentally broken. That means that hackers can break into a WEP-protected network using a hacking suite like Aircrack-ng in a matter of minutes.
So to keep out intruders, it’s essential to use some variant of WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) protection, either WPA or the newer WPA2 standard or WPA3.
For smaller companies and households, it may be practical to use WPA with a pre-shared key. That means that all employees or family members use the same password to connect, and network security depends on them not sharing the password with outsiders.
It also means that the password should be changed every time an employee leaves the company.
Want to learn more? Tonex offers Wireless Security Training, a comprehensive 3-day course that covers wireless technologies, security, vulnerabilities, threats, exploits, and the defense techniques and technologies.
For more information, questions, comments, contact us.