How to keep others from hijacking your home wireless network

Another very common question I get asked is around wireless security and will my neighbours or other businesses in the area be able to "hijack" my network and use my bandwith, steal my information etc... in a way this is possible, however there are ways & means of securing your network. Most modern day routers have the security features built-in, like WEP, WPA-PSK and a host more that you can use, another example is MAC Address filtering & hiding your SSID (Security Set Identifier).

I have managed to find some tips for you and added them to my blog to ensure that you can secure your wireless network or even better understand the terms used with wireless networking... However I do wireless network installations, including security setups so contact me if you require a setup. (Leave a comment with your details and I will get back to you)

Leaving your wireless network unprotected could be an open door for nosy neighbors—or worse—mobile malicious attackers searching for wireless networks to break into, a practice known as wardriving.
It's not uncommon for a home user with a wireless-enabled computer to pick up a wireless network signal, often inadvertently, from a next-door neighbor's access point.

What is "wardriving"?

This term means to cruise down streets with a wireless computer or other radio-enabled device attempting to locate, identify, and infiltrate wireless networks.
A wardriver who accesses your network could anonymously hijack your Internet connection, steal personal information stored on your network, intercept file transfers, or even use your computer as a "zombie" to send out spam or malicious software that could be traced back to you.
Fortunately, by following a few best practices you can significantly decrease your vulnerability to these attacks.

Tips to help protect your wireless network

If you aren't sure how to do some of these, ask someone with computer experience, like ME that you trust to help or visit Microsoft Support, or drop by our friendly Security Community.

•Encrypt all information transmitted through your access point.

•Specify the computers your access point will only recognize using Media Access Control (MAC) addresses & filtering as I mentioned earlier.

•Add a firewall to your network access point and to each computer on the network and keep all of them current (note that the latest version of Windows XP SP2 features a built-in firewall).

•Avoid storing passwords, social security numbers, credit card numbers, details about family members, or other personal information on your computer.

•Place the wireless access point away from windows and near the center of your house to decrease the signal strength outside of the intended coverage area.

•Keep Windows and related security tools current using Automatic Updates.

•Install antivirus software and Windows Defender and keep them up-to-date. Consider using a comprehensive security service like Windows Live OneCare.

•Revisit established and trusted computer security organizations and sites to stay current with the latest security technologies, methods, alerts, and related information.

•If you are unable to use encryption, connect to your wireless access point with a network cable when sending financial or other critical information over the Internet.

Although no method is 100% secure, you can help deter or prevent unauthorized access by applying these basic steps to deter others looking to steal personal information, Internet access, or even send out spam e-mail in your name.

5 security features in Windows Vista that you might not know about

Here are five security features in Windows Vista that might just surprise you:

1. Check your spyware protection through the Windows Security Center. If you've used Windows XP, then you already know about Windows Security Center, the all-in-one monitoring tool that helps you keep track of your firewall, automatic updates, and antivirus software.
Windows Security Center for Windows Vista has more security categories. It now warns you if your antispyware software is not up and running like it should be.

For more information on the new features of the Windows Security Center, see the Windows Vista Security blog.

2. Help prevent identity theft with Phishing Filter. Windows Vista comes with Phishing Filter, which is built in to Internet Explorer 7. You just need to turn it on.
The filter checks Web pages before you connect to them and warns you about sites that have typical characteristics of fraudulent Web sites designed to steal your identity, sometimes called phishing scams.

The filter is updated several times an hour using the latest security information from Microsoft and several industry partners. This can help you avoid identity theft from phony sites that might look, for example, like your bank's site.
For more information, see Phishing Filter: Help protect yourself from online scams.

3. New junk mail filters for Windows Mail. Windows Mail, the new e-mail program that comes with Windows Vista, helps reduce the risks of junk mail and scams.
In fact, Windows Mail comes with a junk e-mail filter that until now has been available only in Microsoft Office Outlook.
For more information, see Windows Vista: Windows Mail.

4. Track what your children are doing online. If you’re a parent, you already know how important it is to have open communication with your children about their computer use.

You might also want to review what your child is doing online. With Windows Vista, you can create activity reports that provide details of how your children have spent their time on the computer, including the Web pages they've visited, programs they've used, and games they've played.

For more information, see Windows Vista Parental Controls.

5. Find security tools faster. When you want to change settings on the security tools in Windows Vista, there’s no need to dig through the Start menu or the control panel. Simply type "Windows Security Center," "Phishing Filter," "Parental Controls," or any other program or file into the Instant Search box on the Start menu and then select it from the programs list.

Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool

The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool checks computers running Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 for infections by specific, prevalent malicious software—including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom—and helps remove any infection found. When the detection and removal process is complete, the tool displays a report describing the outcome, including which, if any, malicious software was detected and removed.
Microsoft releases an updated version of this tool on the second Tuesday of each month, and as needed to respond to security incidents. The tool is available from Microsoft Update, Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center.

Tool can be downloaded by clicking here...

McAfee SiteAdvisor

I found a very useful Web site called McAfee SiteAdvisor that helps protect you from spyware, adware, spam, and identity theft. I thought you might also want to try SiteAdvisor so you can stay safer online.

Whenever you visit a Web site or are asked to provide your e-mail address online, SiteAdvisor displays a red or green rating based on the results of its tests of that site. SiteAdvisor will also warn you about "phishing" sites and other kinds of online scams. To try it, just go to http://www.siteadvisor.com/

ps: please note Red means NO GO, and Green means OK.

New Exams - Vista

70-624 - TS: Deploying and Maintaining Windows Vista Operating System and 2007 Microsoft Office System Desktop

You can register with any test taker, VUE or Prometric which ever you prefer.

Also note the upgrade, Vista exam from MCDST to MCITP has been delayed and will only be released around May. I await that one.....

Windows Vista Downloads @ Technet TechCenter

Get the deployment, compatibility, and management tools you need for your Windows Vista rollout.

Click here

Process Explorer for Windows v10.21

Ever wondered which program has a particular file or directory open? Now you can find out. Process Explorer shows you information about which handles and DLLs processes have opened or loaded.

The Process Explorer display consists of two sub-windows. The top window always shows a list of the currently active processes, including the names of their owning accounts, whereas the information displayed in the bottom window depends on the mode that Process Explorer is in: if it is in handle mode you'll see the handles that the process selected in the top window has opened; if Process Explorer is in DLL mode you'll see the DLLs and memory-mapped files that the process has loaded. Process Explorer also has a powerful search capability that will quickly show you which processes have particular handles opened or DLLs loaded.

The unique capabilities of Process Explorer make it useful for tracking down DLL-version problems or handle leaks, and provide insight into the way Windows and applications work.

Process Explorer works on Windows 9x/Me, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Server 2003, and 64-bit versions of Windows for x64 processors, and Windows Vista.

Visit the following site for more information regarding Process Explorer, click here.

Windows Vista resources I thought you might like

Hello Everybody...

I am quite interested in Windows Vista and all that Microsoft claims it has to offer, hence I have been doing some research to try and find some nice study material etc...

I came across a very informative security website relating to Vista and a very nice Microsoft Press Title... See below for links to the sites.... Happy reading...

1. Windows Vista Security Guide
2. Windows Vista Administrator's Pocket Consultant

ZS

Windows Vista Hardware Assessment Tool

Need to check if your PC is ready for Vista, Microsoft has a free tool that you can download and scan your pc to ensure that your current hardware specification can run "Windows Vista"... ZS

Tool can be downloaded by clicking here

Updates to CCDA - Cisco Certified Design Associate

Updated training is now available to help network professionals prepare for the Designing for Cisco Internetwork Solutions exam (640-863 DESGN), which is a requirement for Cisco® CCDA® certification. The new curriculum incorporates current products, technologies, services, and solutions, and provides a foundation for students to gain the knowledge and skills required to design routed and switched network infrastructures and services.

The updated DESGN curriculum emphasizes the converged enterprise network model, which extends the hierarchical model to all modules in the enterprise to facilitate preparing, planning, designing, implementing, operating, and optimizing (PPDIOO) networks. The curriculum presents services virtualization based on the Cisco Service-Oriented Network Architecture (SONA), shifting the vision of the network from a pure traffic transport-oriented view to a service and application-oriented view. Concepts are reinforced with extensive case studies.

The recommended course prerequisite is CCNA® level knowledge, with additional recommended knowledge as taught in the Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks (BCMSN) course.

The following table reflects the new DESGN curriculum comprised in the Cisco® CCDA® certification program.

CCDA
Prerequisite: CCNA level-knowledge and BCMSN-level knowledge

Recommended Training Required Exam
Designing for Cisco Internetwork Solutions (DESGN) v2.0 640-863 DESGN

Please visit the CCDA page for more information.