WiFi Wireless

WiFi Wireless

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Tips on Stopping Hackers and War Drivers (Part 2)

April 17th, 2006 · No Comments

Once again the best way to stop people from trying to hack your wireless network is to keep it hidden.

Tip number three: Use Kismet or Airsnort – Make a cheap wireless Intrusion detection system. Use an older desktop computer install Linux, install a USB wireless adapter or PCI wireless adapter and boom you have your wireless war driver stopper. Both Kismet and airsnort will alert you when wireless clients are probing your network. If a wireless client is using netstumber and not joining networks they will be found by Kismet. Their wireless adapters MAC address will be logged and other details of the operating system. Most of the time these could be false hits but if you notice a pattern of the same MAC address probing networks you could have hacker issues.

Tip number four: Security Cameras. No matter how hard you try not to have your signal bleed outside your operations area it will…to a point. Probe your own network as if you were a wardriver. Don’t just use a standard wireless adapter to find out where you still can detect your network. You will want to use a highly directional antenna to see how far away you can detect your own network. Once you know your weak points setup some cheap security cameras to monitor those areas.

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Tips on Stopping Hackers and War Drivers (Part 1)

April 16th, 2006 · No Comments

War drivers are generally deals with finding wireless access points, documenting them and uploading their locations to the web. So if you’re wonder why someone do this, well there are several reasons.

For starters, they want free internet access. Next they could just be war driving as a hobby; finally they could be targeting your network for financial gain. One of the most asked questions is how do you stop hackers from trying to hack your wireless lan and how to catch them in the act.

So how do you stop Wardrivers? There are six easy ways to accomplish this task.

Tip number one: Use directional antennas. One of the most under stated uses of directional antennas are how they keep your wireless signal within your area of operation. If you are using a Omni directional antenna that is causing half the signal to travel outside your building, you have a major security problem. Also while using your wireless directional antenna turndown transmit power to reduce your signal strength if you can.

Tip number two: Blend your wireless antennas into your buildings architecture or keep them low profile. This is not expensive, the whole point is not letting your antennas stick out like a sore thumb so anyone driving by doesn’t say, wow they have a wireless network.

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The Wireless Neighbor War (Part 2)

April 15th, 2006 · No Comments

Get rid of those cheap rubber duck antennas and replacing it with directional antennas, might be a good idea. Why you asked? Well, directional antennas will focus your wireless signal in one direction.

If you purchase a directional antenna you need to change your transmit and receive antenna to the same. Or purchase a wireless antenna with diversity meaning two TNC connectors.

You might want to think about purchasing another wireless adapter. PCMICA wireless cards often are subject to damage.

Changing your wireless transmit power - You can change your wireless transmit power but it comes with a price. First this will cause your wireless router to work harder and heat up more thus reducing your wireless routers life span. Their is no need to have transmit power over 70mw for a home or small office. You can crank up your transmit power but remember more of you signal will bleed out into the street giving war drivers another target.

You will know if you are having interference if you are constantly connecting and reconnecting to your wireless network. The first thing to try is to try and change the channel to 2 or 11 or what ever works. Next you can make or purchase a wireless directional antenna to focus your signal where you need it. Third Move your wireless router to another place in your home. Fourth boosting your wireless signals transmit power has it’s benefits and it’s consequences, you could fry your wireless router and it could give you hacker issues. Finally if all else fails go out and purchase a new wireless MIMO router.

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