Is Windows vulnerable to WiFi attacks?

Several technology sites have reported that Windows is vulnerable to being attacked by malicious entities via WiFi. This stems from the support in some versions of Windows for ad-hoc or non-infrastructure wireless networking. This means one computer could network with another computer in a peer-to-peer fashion, rendering unnecessary the need for a wireless router or access point.

However, the problem with this setup is that a Windows machine that has been set up with ad-hoc networking even once will act as a WiFi hotspot until the ad-hoc network is disabled, hence broadcasting the Wireless ID every so often. This is prone to being picked up by other computers, which will also attempt to connect via ad-hoc networking. The problem lies with the risk that a malicious hacker could be actively be seeking computers with ad-hoc WiFi activated, connecting into the computer, and doing all sorts of things, such as steal data, spread worms and viruses, or install spam-bots.

Microsoft has yet to confirm this bug in their system, and will probably be releasing patches to solve the vulnerability along with Windows update. However, to be safe, I would suggest you turn off ad-hoc networking in your system by going into the properties sheet of your Wireless connection, and choosing “Access point (infrastructure) networks only” under the Advanced options. Your wireless network will continue to operate for as long as you are within range of your WiFi router or access point. You may enable ad-hoc networking if you need to connect directly to another computer, but this should only be done as a temporary setup.