Thursday, October 16, 2003
Illusive Bandwidth Thieves
Posted by Andy Sjostrom in "THOUGHT" @ 12:10 AM
Do you believe mobile device viruses and wireless bandwidth thieves are major threats? I don't. At least not today. I installed and reviewed a Pocket PC antivirus application already two years ago and I have still not seen a Pocket PC virus that would justify the existence of Pocket PC antivirus software. Some argue that it is just a matter of time before the viruses arrive. Very likely I say, but let's not cry "wolf!" until it happens. Which brings me to "bandwidth thieves".
The article Beware the Bandwidth Thieves is one of the latest that warns us from bandwidth thieves, bandits that are willing to spend time and resources breaking into locked wireless networks. The article goes: "If you use MAC address authentication as your only security mechanism, especially if you have an 802.11b-based wireless infrastructure, it's ridiculously easy for savvy hackers to break in. The MAC (Media Access Control) address is the supposedly fixed identifier on a network client device. ... Here's the problem. Contrary to what you may believe -- and what some vendors may tell you -- the MAC address on a wireless device can be changed."
I do see that WiFi software is getting smarter and more easily detects open networks. Pocket PC 2003 does a really good job from out-of-the-box. But properly configured and just using the simplest of lock-down settings (not broadcasting SSID, WEP and specifying MAC addresses), I doubt "bandwidth thieves" would be inclined to spend energy getting a free ride from your bandwidth. There must be easier methods of getting Internet access. I am not trying to downplay the risks if you really have sensitive information behind your firewalls, but for the average home/office network I don't see a real threat. Agree?
The article Beware the Bandwidth Thieves is one of the latest that warns us from bandwidth thieves, bandits that are willing to spend time and resources breaking into locked wireless networks. The article goes: "If you use MAC address authentication as your only security mechanism, especially if you have an 802.11b-based wireless infrastructure, it's ridiculously easy for savvy hackers to break in. The MAC (Media Access Control) address is the supposedly fixed identifier on a network client device. ... Here's the problem. Contrary to what you may believe -- and what some vendors may tell you -- the MAC address on a wireless device can be changed."
I do see that WiFi software is getting smarter and more easily detects open networks. Pocket PC 2003 does a really good job from out-of-the-box. But properly configured and just using the simplest of lock-down settings (not broadcasting SSID, WEP and specifying MAC addresses), I doubt "bandwidth thieves" would be inclined to spend energy getting a free ride from your bandwidth. There must be easier methods of getting Internet access. I am not trying to downplay the risks if you really have sensitive information behind your firewalls, but for the average home/office network I don't see a real threat. Agree?
