How to check WIFI users

2012-03-26 Thread JOHN CARMONNE
I have a G5 10.5.8 with  ATT DSL wireless modem/router and I want to  
find a simple to use application that will tell me when others are on  
my connection. All the stuff I've read is way too complicated for me.  
I know how to lock it out with passwords but that's not an option at  
my office.


John Carmonne
Placentia CA 92870
From iMac Core Duo 2.0








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Re: How to check WIFI users

2012-03-26 Thread Ken Daggett


On 26 Mar 2012, at 10:28:44 PDT, JOHN CARMONNE wrote:

I have a G5 10.5.8 with  ATT DSL wireless modem/router and I want  
to find a simple to use application that will tell me when others  
are on my connection. All the stuff I've read is way too  
complicated for me. I know how to lock it out with passwords but  
that's not an option at my office.

--
Don't know anything about your particular router, but all the ones I  
have used have a simple log in page, generally accessed at http:// 
192.168.1.1/  or something close to that. After logging in, there  
will be a number of administrative pages, one of which will show  
users. You will need to know the IP addresses of the users or their  
MAC addresses to monitor authorized users.


Ken

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Re: How to check WIFI users

2012-03-26 Thread peterhaas

 Don't know anything about your particular router, but all the ones I
 have used have a simple log in page, generally accessed at http://
 192.168.1.1/  or something close to that. After logging in, there
 will be a number of administrative pages, one of which will show
 users. You will need to know the IP addresses of the users or their
 MAC addresses to monitor authorized users.

It's your wireless access point (WAP) or your router with its built-in WAP
which MAY be compromised by external users' WiFi cards.

Almost all routers use 192.168.1.1 on your INTRAnet (not on the INTERnet)
with which a GUI is used to access.

To identify and isolate suspicious activity, you would use the menu which
gives the client list.

You will most likely find MANY so-called clients, some of which are your
own devices, but others which may be the result of external users trying
and possibly succeeding in using your router as a path into the INTERnet
(and, thereby, consuming YOUR bandwidth).

MAC address control is certainly one way of restricting outside users, but
MAC address cloning has been a part of the hacker's tool kit for years and
years, and was actually used legitimately in the early days of the
INTERnet when ISPs REQUIRED that you use THEIR E-net card (and ONLY their
card).

As most PCs required an ISA or PCI card, whereas most Macs had an on-mobo
E-net chip, this requirement basically excluded most Macs from accessing
the ISP, UNLESS MAC address cloning was used.

But, that was THEN and this is NOW, and almost all PCs have RJ-45
connectors and on-mobo E-net chips, with the actual MAC addresses going
all over the place.

Heck, I have purchased numerous seemingly identical WiFi cards, all with
the Dell DW 1390 logo and label, and all have been manufactured by
different Chinese companies, and each such company is required to use its
own MAC address (well, at least the first several hex digits HAVE to be
unique).

So, given a specific MAC address, as extracted from your router's client
list, you may use a number of web-based tools to translate a MAC address
into a manufacturer's name and product model number (or name), and from
that you may begin to determine how compromised your system has become.

Likely, you will find tens or even hundreds of suspicious MAC addresses,
and you are certainly free to block them.

Your own personal devices will be temporarily blocked, but, as with
external devices, the DHCP server within your WAP or WAP-equipped router
can and will simply give that user, or your device, a new lease.

One sure way of eliminating these piggy-back users is to turn off WiFi
access and to use wired E-net exclusively.

In my own case, my INTERnet is 10/100/1000, and I am depending on the
gigabit capability for some services internal to my premises.

Alas, I have long ago run out of wired 1000 ports on my switches, so new
devices have been added using 802.11a/b/g/n cards, with /g and /n being
preferred.

WiFi ... always a moving target.



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