No no no. Those recommendations should be dismissed, they are so "yesterday's idea of security". For anyone who really wants to get in, working around MAC filtering and non-broadcast SID's is a piece of cake. Secure the router or access point with WPA2 and a strong PSK if you can't do 802.1x authentication. When properly secured, it doesn't matter if you're visible or whether your MAC is allowed or not.
Further reading: http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/index.php?p=43 http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=454 http://www.icsalabs.com/icsa/docs/html/communities/WLAN/wp_ssid_hiding.pdf Carl From: Lee Douglas [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2009 3:14 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: Re: SECURING WIFI ROUTER In terms of securing, I've seen recommendations to NOT have the router broadcast its SID as well as using MAC filtering. I'm sure all can likely be circumvented, but they just add extra layers and make your neighbors that much more attractive.. On Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 3:02 PM, Webb, Brian (Corp) <[email protected]> wrote: I've seen the same message as well with an HP laptop going to a D-Link WIFI using WPA. The message seems to indicate that you are connected to unsecured network, but I've always been connected to my secured network when I've checked. -Brian -----Original Message----- From: Andy Ognenoff [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2009 1:57 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: RE: SECURING WIFI ROUTER I've seen that happen too, with the plain old Windows wireless client. WPA2 in my instance, as well. I never did figure out what the problem was but I stopped using WIFI a year ago and just wired my house with CAT5e. At the time it was a Linksys WRT54GL with DD-WRT and an Intel integrated wlan card in a ThinkPad T60. - Andy O. ________________________________________ From: Sam Cayze [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2009 1:40 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: RE: SECURING WIFI ROUTER Mmm... this doesn't sound like a popup that I am familiar with Windows being capable of generating. It won't even pop up that message with a Wide Open wireless connection (No password needed). Could it be the security center letting you know that the firewall is off, windows update is off, or that virus defs are old? If not that, I suspect it's your AV telling you something, or spyware. ________________________________________ From: Murray Freeman [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2009 1:33 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: SECURING WIFI ROUTER I hope this is on topic. I have a Dell 700m laptop and a Netgear rangemax mimo "G" router. I'm using WPA2, but from time to time, a baloon pops up from the icon in the systray stating that my connection is unsecure. If I right click and select "view wireless networks" it indicates that my network is in fact secured with WPA2. Any ideas why I get the baloon, and is there another way to insure that I am WPA2 secured in fact? I've noticed this for months now. Murray ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~
