Wireless networks have become the next big thing in home and business networking. They’re great; they allow the freedom to roam around the house or office with your laptop, easily connect to friends’ networks to share Internet connections, play games, or transfer files, update your website from the comfort of a coffeshop, and easily steal information and Internet access from just about any wireless network you’re in range of at any given time.
If you have the feeling your wireless data is secure, chances are very very high that you’re wrong. I’m not usually a fear monger about this stuff, and really I’m not trying to put the fear into you now, either. Though your data may not be secure, there isn’t too high of a chance anyone will ever break in anyway. It’s not like there are teams of hackers parading around every neighborhood and business district constantly monitoring wireless connections, but it’s entirely possible and, unfortunately, not the least bit difficult. There is a very popular hobby called War Driving, wherein people drive around with laptops and enhanced antennas, scouting for open wireless networks with little or no security or closed wireless networks that they can then try to break into.
I’m not going to try and go through all of the usually security steps, because those are highly published all over the web. Good places to look for that info are websites like O’Reilly, which will dispel the myth of wireless security and nevertheless tell you how to try and secure your network. There are also plenty of websites that tell you how to hack a wireless network.
So, what are we to do if the usual wireless security methods aren’t foolproof? Monitor your network with a product like AirSnare. AirSnare, if your wireless hardware supports it, will constantly monitor your network and warn you with popups, sound effects, or emails if any untrusted machines comes online. You can add all of your trusted machines to the software, and it’ll let you know if anyone else connects. That way, even if someone breaks into your network, you’ll know as soon as you check your email. What I do is have it email my phone in the form of a text message. That way, I can know as soon as possible, so long as I have my phone on me. AirSnare is free and really easy to set up. Go check it out.