[Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
[Profile/Gallery]
, Sun, 13 Feb 2005 20:30:30
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup
first set up a different login name and password to your router instead of the Linksys default. I have seen some wireless router uses the Serial Number as the login ID (NOT as password!) and I think it's a reasonable good one to use as it is written on the box in case you forget the ID. Then use a *GOOD* password for the router access.
I don't know about your particular router, some router has some built-in firewall, use it. Even at the lowest setting, it cuts down some of the obvious crap.
Then as suggested by others, set up the router to use MAC address filtering. In other words, you only allow your laptop or any other devices that belong to you to access the router. Again, not totally fool proof but it's better than leaving the router wide opened.
You need to find out the MAC addresses for your laptop wireless card and maybe the MAC address of your laptop network card as well, depending on how your laptop is hooked up to the router. You can use the command "ipconfig /all" in the command window to find out some of the MAC addresses.
Your Linksys router may have some options to pull in the MAC address of your laptop card and use it for MAC address filtering. So you may want to poke around in there.
I believe the wireless router you have does not do WPA which is harder to breakin. However you can use the 128 bit WEP encryption. Make sure you use a long enough word to invoke the 128 bit encryption. I believe something like a 13 letter word would do.
Then when everything is setup right, disable SSID broadcast, i.e. you don't want other people to snoop around and see that you have a wireless router. This isn't totally fool proof as anyone that has a snooper antenna and program can still seek you out. But by not broadcasting your SSID, you are at least safe from the casual hackers, i.e. all your neighbors on campus.
You want a software firewall installed on your laptop if you don't have one. Something like the Zonealarm product would do nicely. You can download the cheap version and use it for free. You can restrict the IP addresses that can come into your laptop. No, this doesn't protect the router but it does protect your computer.
I presume you have anti-virus and anti-spyware softwares on your computer, if not download some good freebies and use them.
Use Google search if you are not familiar with some of the things we posted. There are some very good sources out there on how to protect your router and computer.
Yes, things have become very complicated 8-)
posted by 12.42.232...
, Sun, 13 Feb 2005 20:30:30, Mon, 14 Feb 2005 06:42:06, Sun, 13 Feb 2005 20:50:38, Mon, 14 Feb 2005 06:43:35, Mon, 14 Feb 2005 06:41:36
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
