Check Home Wireless Security Basics Once Again

Wireless Internet is comfort and mobility at the same time. Protection of the network consists of several steps. Communications in the network are specially encrypted. One may choose between Wi-Fi Protected Access or Wired Equivalent Privacy.

• Apply spyware software or antivirus programs or firewall
• Identifier broadcasting is some kind of wireless router
• Remember only being turned off computer will be safe from signals from any devices
• Changing of the pre-set password makes the situation more reliable. The longer password is the more difficult it to be cracked.
• In purpose of security your computer should be let down for access only by specific PCs of wireless network
• It’s better to turn off when it’s not used.

Public “hot spots” are not always secure; other people can get the access to your data and observe all your actions.

Wireless Network Security

Wireless network attracts more and more users nowadays because of comfort and mobility. Up to date businessmen being on their vacations can be in touch with their staff with the help of wireless network or lazy shoppers if there are such at all can purchase all they need being on-line.

Wireless network can be set up in any part of the lodging without any cords and any kind of staff and one can get the access to the net in any possible place where the network is available.

Wireless connection usually requires broadband Internet access in home or some kind of “access point”, it can DSL cord switch into the modem. Setting up to the kind of network consists of several steps:

• Connection to the access point
• Broadcasting a signal
• One should know that computers are equipped with special client card pulling signal in the air and gaining web access.

The possibility of unauthorized users to log in to the wireless net is its only pitfall. It makes hackers or neighbor active in its malicious actions. It arouses the level of web criminality or other similar actions.

Fortunately, there are steps protecting security of PC data. They are as follows:

1) Encryption prevents any interference or communications in the net. Wireless routers, base stations and access points possess encryption mechanism. Usually encryption feature is turned off, it must be set up. There are two types of encryption: Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). It depends on the user choice what to set up. The most popular and often used encryption is WEP.

2) Then follows firewall installation, it provides anti-virus protection. The second step is manual connection to the net with the help of SSID name, then one should change the identifier up to the standard otherwise it can be caught be hackers, configure unique ID in wireless router, use password consisting of at least 10 symbols. Treat your net carefully, turn it off when it is not used. Do not switch to in “hot spots”, always save information you got in wireless connection.

3) Using WiFi Security Software like SmartHide to ensure your WiFi Security. It is easy and not free solution but when you are using it, you can be sure that your wireless network are safeguarded for sure.

How to Protect Wireless Network – Five Easy Steps

The popularity of Wireless Network becomes more and more evident. It can be used in laptop IPhone, mobile devices. The only disadvantage and inconvenience of wireless nets is the possibility of interference into it and downloading data. Wireless also allows stealing laptop battery resource to be stolen. Only protection of information can help to find out the solution.

The essence of wireless network is usage of radio signals for communication. They travel outside home network; other wireless devices can pick up unprotected signals and connect to network, caught information which has not been sent yet. One of the best examples of wireless devices which can be created at home is Dell Inspiron 6400.

Ways of protection wireless network

You should consider safety factors in setup of wireless network. One of them is transmitter in wireless networks. Wireless firewalls and security protocols are offered at gateways, routers, cellular base stations. They provide protection networks from risks.

1. Usage of firewall

Firewall is some kind of barrier which helps to through away all the suspicious objects and data which intrude into the net. Dell Latitude D420 Battery is the device which provides the protection of the network while being in use. Firewalls can be reached in various variants, hardware and software. Both variants can be used, it depends on the situation.

2. Wireless encryption

Wireless network has a great variety of protocols with encryption. There are great variety of methods in network security functioning.

Equivalent Protocol of wired nets

WEP is encoded security protocol, it uses in all network bases of information with the help of WEP key. It assigns to the network and setups it with the WEP key. One can have personal key or create different with selected options. Correct password allows user enter into the network from battery 4 us.

3. Wi-Fi protected access

WPa security settings are used to decrypt and encrypt data transmitted in the network. Static security key in WEP encryption is not used. Instead of it Temporal Integrity Protocol is dynamically generated with a new key for each packet.

4. Connection to the private network

While creating the private network point one should avoid network names in transmitter. Because the networks mostly transmit the default names, and all the computers in the neibourghoud can intrude to your data. While creating new working network station one should remember the SSID for connection new points in the net no matter whether it closed or there is no SSID broadcasting.

5. Public safety

Talking about public safety in is necessary to consider that “hot spots”: cafes, airports, are very dangerous places from the point of view of security information. Wireless networks should be highly protected in order not to be destroyed. It is better to limit the activities to the dangerous e-mails, and basic security points while being in such kind of net.

...Last but not least

If you do not want do all these steps and you need an easy solution to protect your WiFi, use SmartHide to protect your wireless connection in public places and at home.

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Ruckus Wireless Awarded Wi-Fi Security Patent for Dynamic Authentication and Encryption

A new Advances Wi-Fi Security Innovationan that Simplifies Allowing Encryption Keys to be Automatically Generated for Each Wireless User and Installed on the End User Devices

SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Ruckus Wireless™ today it is announced that it get a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for an innovation that radically simplifies the configuration, administration and strength of wireless network security. This patent is one of nearly two dozen patents granted to Ruckus with dozens more pending approval.

The new technique, commonly known as Dynamic Pre-Shared Key (PSK), effectively eliminates tedious and time-consuming manual installation of encryption keys, passphrases or user credentials needed to securely access a wireless network. Dynamic PSK changes this model by dynamically generating strong, unique security keys for each authenticated user, automatically installing these encryption keys on the end user devices with little or no human intervention.

With the explosive growth of Wi-Fi networks around the world, organizations struggled with how to streamline the complexity and cost of implementing robust wireless security. Many companies have used a passphrase that must be shared among many users and manually entered into client devices. If this "pre-shared key" becomes known or stolen it must be changed for all users and manually re-entered into every client device.

A popular alternative to the pre-shared key approach is an elaborate security framework (e.g. 802.1X) that requires information, such as unique certificates or supplicants, to be installed on every user device. Deploying such systems requires a high level of technical expertise as well as ongoing technical support for users.

"Concerning the Wi-Fi there were two ends of the security spectrum" said Steve Martin, VP of Engineering for Ruckus Wireless. "On the one end is the simple approach that makes life easy for network managers but creates potential security concerns for companies. On the other end is a very robust but often overwhelming security framework, such as 802.1X, that requires a tremendous amount of a time and an effort to implement. We've created the best of both worlds with a user-friendly and low maintenance method for providing a high level of wireless security".

Using Dynamic PSK, organizations can now streamline the administration of wireless security with the confidence of knowing that their wireless network is protected. Integrated into all Ruckus ZoneDirector wireless LAN controllers at no cost, Dynamic PSK technology is an independent-device and works on laptops and handheld Wi-Fi enabled devices.

How Does Dynamic PSK Work?

When a user initially accesses the wireless network, they are authenticated through a captive portal on the Ruckus ZoneDirector. This information is checked against any standard back-end authentication server such as Active Directory, RADIUS or an internal database on the ZoneDirector.

Once the user has successfully authenticated, Dynamic PSK technology automatically generates a unique encryption key for that user device. This key is downloaded to the client and automatically configured, along with the requisite Wi-Fi information. This eliminates users from having to manually configure anything and dramatically reduces the technical support burden on IT staff.

Each Dynamic PSK is bound to a specific client device and has a configurable lifetime. With Dynamic PSK, organizations control the length of time that each key is valid in increments of hours, days, weeks or months. Once the key expires, users must re-authenticate. If a user device is stolen, others on the network are not at risk. Network managers only need to delete the compromised user or device record in their authentication database.

"The simplicity of these technologies, like Dynamic PSK, truly changes the game for wireless deployments," said Matthew Crandall, Associate Director of Information Services at Johnson College in Pennsylvania. "Dynamic PSK has been a remarkable time-saving tool for us -- eliminating the hassle of configuring each and every end user device while still giving us state-of-the-art Wi-Fi security.

"Like a lot of organizations, we demanded strong wireless security but didn't want the management hassles associated with it. Dynamic PSK breaks through the conventional problems that have inhibited implementing a simple and strong wireless security architecture that easily scales," concluded Crandall.

Johnson College operates a campus-wide 802.11n Wi-Fi network across 13 buildings. When new users access an open "provisioning" wireless network (SSID), they use secure HTTPS to authenticate against Johnson College's user directory. Once authenticated, user devices are automatically configured with a unique encryption key and required SSID information. The devices then securely connect to the appropriate Johnson College wireless network.

About Ruckus Wireless, Inc.

Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Ruckus Wireless is a manufacturer of advanced "Smart Wi-Fi" technology and wireless LAN (WLAN) systems used by enterprises and carriers around the world. Ranked as the top telecom company in the 2009 Inc. 500 list and named a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, Ruckus has developed patented technology that uniquely extends signal range and allows for consistently reliable distribution of delay-sensitive multimedia content and services over standard 802.11 Wi-Fi. Its flagship product line, ZoneFlex, is the first centralized wireless LAN system to combine state-of-the-art Wi-Fi smart antenna arrays and wireless meshing to deliver maximum range and reliable performance at the lowest cost. Leading broadband operators use its MediaFlex multimedia routers to extend wireless digital services such as IPTV throughout subscribers' homes worldwide. Ruckus has raised approximately $51 million from premier investors such as Sequoia Capital, Focus Ventures, Sutter Hill, Motorola, T-Ventures, Telus, Mitsui and others. Ruckus Wireless is led by Ms. Selina Lo, president and chief executive officer. For more information, visit Ruckus Wireless at http://www.ruckuswireless.com.

Media Contacts


Nancy MacGregor Hill
RealTime Communications


nancy@realtime-comm.com


+1-510-733-6228 office


+1-415-309-5185 mobile




David Callisch


Ruckus Wireless


david@ruckuswireless.com


+1-408-504-5487


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Arbor Networks Offers Virtual Network Security Tool

Arbor Networks, whose technology detects abnormal network traffic flow, now offers its PeakFlow monitoring tool for use in virtualized environments. PeakFlow X Virtual 4.2 is the alternative to PeakFlow X software that monitors packet flow through network routers and switches, alerting system administrators if traffic spikes above normal patterns, such as in the case of a distributed denial of service (DDOS) attack. The virtual version of the software is designed to run in VMware's ESX and ESXi hypervisors.

PeakFlow SP was introduced in 2000, targeting telecommunications service providers such as Verizon, AT&T, British Telecom and others that operate vast global networks and also serve as Internet service providers (ISPs). The appliance sampled about one packet in 100,000 to extrapolate from there network traffic patterns. In 2006, Arbor introduced PeakFlow X, which was targeted at enterprises and sampled 100 percent of network traffic, said Tom Bienkowski, director of product marketing for Arbor Networks.

Increasingly, though, service providers are showing an interest in also using the enterprise version of PeakFlow as they become managed security service providers (MSSPs) to their customers, said Bienkowski. Frost & Sullivan estimates that the size of the global managed security service market will grow to about $2.5 billion in 2015, from about $1.5 billion this year. Offering the virtualized product makes providing that security more cost-effective for MSSPs. "The virtual version of the X products allows these service providers to deliver those managed services much more economically. It's much easier, there's less rack space -- all the advantages of being virtual," Bienkowski said.

DDOS attacks are growing in size and severity, he added. Arbor Networks' own analysis reports DDOS attacks in 2007 of as high as 40Gbps, up from just 10 Gbps in 2004, and the rise of cloud computing is only going to create richer targets for attacks and more opportunities for companies such as Arbor Networks, said Jennifer Pigg, an analyst with Yankee Group. "[In the cloud] there are things moving in and out of the network that you can't pin down the location for, you don't know where the resources are located so it becomes a real security vulnerability, and it becomes that much more difficult to trace where there is something like a denial of service attack," Pigg said. Arbor Networks can appeal to a large market of both ISPs and enterprises that are creating clouds for their own use or as a public cloud offering, Pigg added.

Arbor Networks competes against companies like Lancope, with its StealthWatch line of network monitoring technology, and Mazu Networks, whose Mazu Profiler software also does network behavioral analysis. But Pigg said there are other companies in the domain name system (DNS) space that also provide DDOS notification, such as Neustar and Nominum.

Source: networkcomputing.com


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Why WiFi Security and encryption matter?

Recently there seems to be a never ending stream of information leaks percolating through the news. Several states mandate wireless networks implement encryption and the Federal government is looking at forcing companies to disclose information leaks to affected customers. Of course any information leak or unauthorized access to sensitive data on a personal or even worse business network may present a myriad of liability issues.

Wireless networks are often targeted and most of them are not up to the standard of security that is publicly available. Using no encryption leaves your network immediately open to attack. This means any third party can connect in to your network, discover resources like shared files or computers that are vulnerable and gain access. There is not much, if any legal protection afforded in this situation as the network is open.

WEP (wireless equivalent privacy) is an older standard that for its time was certainly better than no encryption, but these days it is not much more secure than leaving the network wide open. The reason is that there exist several fundamental flaws in the WEP algorithm that leave your network vulnerable, including, but not limited to:

1. Passive attacks to decrypt traffic


2. Active attacks to inject new traffic from unauthorized nodes


3. Active attacks to decrypt traffic based on fooling the AP (access point)


4. Dictionary-based attacks that may take some time, but allows full decryption of all network traffic

These attacks are simple to configure and can be implemented with off the shelf equipment, including many standard laptop configurations. Furthermore, WEP uses RC4 encryption, a weaker and older form of stream-based encryption that is easy for attackers to exploit because of its vulnerable key exchange mechanism and the lower grade cipher used.

Many routers are setup to use WEP encryption, even those supplied by Internet providers. If you are using WEP (or no encryption at all) it’s best to consider using WPA2 with AES encryption. This is the highest publicly available wireless encryption standard. If your router or wireless card does not support this standard now would be a good time to consider upgrading.

Source: arlingtonvacomputerrepair.com


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HOWTO setup WiFi Security on your router and connect to your wireless network

This guide will show you how to put a security code on your wireless network so strangers can not access your Internet, how to connect to a secured wireless network. Router configuration addresses D-Link 192.168.0.1 Linksys 192.168.1.1 Belkin 192.168.2.1 Netgear 192.168.0.1



Source: articlemarks.com

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White Paper - Modern Network Security: The Migration to Deep Packet Inspection

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Source: whitepapers.hackerjournals.com

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