wireless dsl internet security? | FerrariChat

wireless dsl internet security?

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by ernie, Apr 12, 2005.

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  1. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Hey guys,

    I have looked through the archives on wireless internet, but haven't found what I was looking for. I am new to dsl. I got a free dsl router from verizon, that is also wiress, when I signed up. I used a regular computer at the house and do not need the wireless part. In my searching I found that some of you guys can get free internet on your lap top, from a guy like me, without me knowing. I currently have a firewall, and I'm running two anti spyware programs, but that won't keep the freeloaders from surfing the web on my dime. My question is, how do I protect myself from the freeloaders, and the hackers, that wanna get on the internet and into my computer over the wireless router?

    Thanks in Advance.
     
  2. Schatten

    Schatten F1 World Champ
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    which wireless router did you get?

    or... if you can log into it and configure it to be secure using a WEP key that would do it.
     
  3. Kds

    Kds F1 World Champ

    Wouldn't someone have to be sitting in your back yard or your driveway or street front with a laptop to even take advantage of that ? Sounds like a moot point to me actually....not worth worrying about.
     
  4. Schatten

    Schatten F1 World Champ
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    Kds - while even putting in just a WEP key will not avoid being cracked or leeched from, it is a deterrant, just like the locks on your front door. Heck, I know how to pick them, and so do others, but it is a deterrant for the majority who do not.
     
  5. MAHOOL

    MAHOOL Formula Junior

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    go on the internet and get 'network stumbler' I think that is what it is called.......load it on your laptop and while driving around ernies neighborhood see if you can pick up his signal and be able to send messages to NNO on F-chat............while Ernie stand on your porch with a shotgun looking for people with laptops in there hand.........
     
  6. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
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    What does "WEP" stand for?
     
  7. Aureus

    Aureus Formula 3

    Sitting in my house right now my laptop picks up 'linksys' wireless network, which it seems is a decent high speed cable connection. I don't have a wireless network in my house.

    Just something to think about.
     
  8. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
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    I think it's a Westell?
     
  9. Schatten

    Schatten F1 World Champ
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    got a model number by chance? if not at the moment, drop me a pm or post it up later this evening when you are around it.
     
  10. Schatten

    Schatten F1 World Champ
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    "wired equivalent privacy". it's basically a way to secure your wireless network via password.
     
  11. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Thanks Randy. I'll get back to you on it later today.
     
  12. stephens

    stephens F1 Rookie
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    Basiv wireless security.
    Do not transmit SSID, use MAC addresses in access control list, turn on WEP.
    The networks you can "see" are caused by the network name (SSID) being transmitted by the base station. This is really handy for autodetction and configuration, but bad for security. Turning on access control lists and only allowing certain MAC addresses, further enhances security, by only allowing the
    You can find the MAC addresses of your equipment, either printed on your wireless network card, or under an option on your wireless base station that shows who is connected, which should list the IP and MAC addresses of the machines currently connected to the wireless base station.
    WEP is forthe encryption of your wireless network traffic. As an aside the shared key used for encryption is effectively a password, to provide a further layer of protection.
    As usual there kits around that allow hackers to bypass these measures, but by and large mot home networks should consider themselves safe with these measures in place.
     
  13. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Thanks for the extra info Stephens.

    As you can tell I'm not a computer guy, it is just for some personal and entertainment use. I have a basic understanding of how things work, but by no means can I fix it like I can my car. Could you please explain what MAC & SSID mean? Also how do I get access to the settings from the desk top. I don't have an icon on my desk top, nor do I have one in the program menu. I used the start up disk, provided in the kit, to set up the dsl.

    Thanks again fellas for all the help.
     
  14. Schatten

    Schatten F1 World Champ
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    The settings would be from a webbrowser. You'd put in something like: 192.168.1.1 to hit it and get in. However, it might not be able to be managed, it might be compromised or.. well, just get the model # and myself or someone else can locate the particular model for you and tell you how to get to it from a web browser via IP address.

    MAC - is an address of a network card. while you have an IP address on the network, the MAC is unique and in hex. for example...
    Code:
    Windows IP Configuration
          
    Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 3:
            Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : mydomainoverhereatmycompany.com
            Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcom 570x Gigabit Integrated Controller
            Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0D-56-79-F1-E2
            Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
            Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
            IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.133.2.145
            Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
            Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 10.133.2.1
                                                10.133.5.1
            DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.133.2.250
            DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.133.5.20
                                                10.133.5.21
            Primary WINS Server . . . . . . . : 10.133.5.21
            Secondary WINS Server . . . . . . : 10.133.5.20
            Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Sunday, April 10, 2005 11:20:08 PM
            Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Thursday, April 14, 2005 11:20:08 PM
    
    
    if you notice the "Physical Address" you'll see my MAC address. This is hard set on the network card itself and cannot be changed. I got to this by opening up a command prompt (start - run - cmd) and typing in: ipconfig /all

    hope this helps and sorry for a bit of overexplaination.

    as for ssid - think of it as a network name in this context. hmmm...someone else can explain this one a little better.
     
  15. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Ha HA!!! Okay now I'm starting to understand this. So the Phys. Add. is actually the card inside the computer, right? But what do the acronyms "MAC" & "SSID" stand for? Sorry if I'm asking too many redundant questions. Once I know what the acronym means that helps me understand what it is the "MAC" does. You aren't giving any long winded answers. That is actually what I'm looking for. You guys are really helping me understand alot by explaining things.
     
  16. Schatten

    Schatten F1 World Champ
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    MAC = media access control
    SSID = Service Set Identifier

    Glad the overexplaination helps fill some gaps to better understanding.
     
  17. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Okay, I have a Westell VersaLink Gateway (model 327w15-06). That last part sounded like motor oil. LOL.
     
  18. Schatten

    Schatten F1 World Champ
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    open this address in a webbrowser: http://192.168.1.1 or http://dslrouter
    the username/password prompt appears. the default for this device is: admin / password for the username/password fields respectively.

    configuration, scroll down to wireless, click on security. on the security page, enable wpa-psk. under encryption, select tkip. enter a new security code--use random letters/phone number/something or other. write this code down, because you'll need to enter it on your wireless notebook card when connecting to that network.

    okay... in addition to that. go here: http://www2.verizon.net/help/dsl/?problem=5930

    once you are there, you'll be prompted for a state, enter that in and continue. you'll see a link for 'security' on the right hand panel. just follow along and it will help you disable ssid broadcasting, changing ssid and enabling mac address filtering and WEP security settings.

    this should help out quite a bit. best of luck.
     
  19. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
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    ROCK ON RANDY!!!!! Thanks a bunch. I typed in 192.168.1.1, but it was asking for the name and password. I couldn't figure it out and was getting pissed, until you told me the default. Why don't they make this stuff know in the manual? Must have had an Italian write it. Hahahaha.

    Okay I got in, but all the stuff in there is Greek to me. So what should I set things to so I shut off the wireless, and secure it up?
     
  20. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
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    It's asking for a WPA Shared Key. Is that like a password?
     
  21. Schatten

    Schatten F1 World Champ
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    WEP = WiFi Equivalent Privacy

    it asks for one when you login? or are you prompted to enter one into a configuration field for setting it up?
     
  22. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
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    OKAY THAT WAS TOTALLY NOT COOL ! NOT FUNNY AT ALL !!!!!!

    I don't know who did it but someone hacked into my computer. This is exactly what I was trying to prevent and some smart ass got into it. As I was trying to figure it out, the scroll on my mouse wouldn't work. Then all of a sudden my computer starts going nuts. The web page starts changing sizes, and then the internet options opened up and it started going nuts too. Opening and closing stuff, then I heard the hard drive going into over time. The virus blocker popped up. I just powered everything down. They got past the firewall too.

    Now I seriously doubt that it was something I did, or maybe it was. But what ever happend that was not funny at all. If it was someone hear on the sight, you may have got a good laugh out of it, but you'll get yours in the end. What goes around comes around smart ass! I may not be a computer geek, but it will get back to you. I'm just a guy asking for help, and some punk behind a computer takes advatage of me. That was not cool at all.
     
  23. stephens

    stephens F1 Rookie
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    I seriously doubt if it was cuaed by any of your posts here. It is more likely, if your machine is compromised, a backdoor virus and the hacker was logged in to your machine at the time, realising that you were securing it. That said, wireless security has very little, if anything to do with a direct compromise on your computer.
     
  24. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
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    After I turned the computer back on I ran both the spyware programs. One of them found nothing, and the other one found two. I deleted both that it found. I then turned the router back on, but I unplugged the line to the phone jack. I then went back in and set things up. I shut off the SSID wireless, and also hid the SSID. I turned on the WPA-PSK, and changed the shared key.

    One thing I did notice the first time I tried to setting things up, was that the little bar on the bottom on the page kept acting as if I was going to a new site. It only did this when I typed in the dslrouter, or 192.168.1.1. So maybe it had something to do with the software?
     
  25. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
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    I just opened 192.168.1.1 again to see what it would do. On the bottom the work bar kept showing that it was sending info. It would keep flashing the same number but with
    /indexHidden.htm
    at the end of it, about every two seconds.
     

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