Archived from groups: alt.internet.wireless (
More info?)
On Sun, 17 Oct 2004 21:10:12 +1000, Rock <1940@pobox.com> wrote:
>I have a XP mshome network thru a hub with one attached via a wireless
>gateway which also is a gateway to the Internet.
I have no idea what a "gateway" implies. Could you disclose the amke
and model number of the device? If it's simply an access point, and
NOT a router, your only security will be the WEP key. Do you have WEP
enabled? If not, you don't have any security.
>I have tested security from the internet and the firewall is fine and my
>network can't be seen however..
Well, if whatever device you're calling a gateway is configured to
pass everything to your computah, and you have a "personal firewall"
running on your XP box, an external port scan will show that you're
safe.
Incidentally, did you install XP SP2?
>I had a friend over with his wireless laptop and he was able to get to
>my network via Network Places etc. I had to tell him the network name,
>still it registered as insecure. He was able to get to my folders.
That's different. If your "gateway" device happens to be a router, it
will show as secure (no open ports) from the internet. However, your
friend is not entering from the internet. He's entering via the
wireless LAN on the "protected" side of your router. No amount of
protection by your gateway, router, or firewall is going to do any
good keeping someone out of the wireless side of the LAN.
Think of it this way. A router has two sides. WAN and LAN. The WAN
part goes to the internet and contains the firewall and NAT protection
which protects the LAN side. The LAN side has no protection at all
since the firewall section isn't even involved. Your wireless is on
the LAN side.
Also, your friend is not testing your gateway, router, access point,
or whatever for security. He's testing your laptop. If you connected
your laptop directly to the internet wia an access point (no router),
and ran a security scan, it will show your laptop has an insecure
setup. The purpose of the router/firewall is to protect inherently
insecure client radios from attack from the internet. They can do
nothing for an attack from the protected side of the router/firewall.
>In Network properties I set the Wireless connection using the WEP with
>windows giving the security number automatically and it says it is
>secure, but obviously isn't.
Holdit. There is no "security number". However, there is "get WEP
key automatically". You don't have a server capeable of delivering
WEP keys from a LDAP or other server. If you set this to automatic, I
vaguely recall that Windoze XP pre-SP2 will try to obtain a WEP key,
fail, and revert to an insecure setting with no encryption.
Therefore, do NOT select "get WEP key automatically". Set it for
manual or whatever. Fill in the box with the WEP key (exactly 13
ascii characters). Make sure your gateway, router, access point,
whatever, are similarly configured.
>How do I secure my wireless network with XP?
Plan A. Install XP SP2. Turn on the Windoze firewall. Verify that
the firewall settings are fine.
Plan B. Install XP SP2. Disable the Windoze firewall and install
some personal firewall product. Norton Firewall, McAffee firewall,
Kerio, ZoneAlarm, Black Ice, etc.
Turn off file sharing or setup passwords on shared folders.
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us
150 Felker St #D
http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 AE6KS 831-336-2558
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram