Almost all of these networks are vulnerable, and the vulnerable networks already have been compromised, or will almost certainly be compromised, unless secured. One of the goals that the National Cyber Security Day encouraged in April was to secure our computers from hackers and terrorists, and the Department of Homeland Security has identified this as one of the major vulnerabilities of our cyber infrastructure. There is too much proprietary and private personal information available for illicit access, and there are also many who will eagerly access this information either as a challenge or for nefarious purposes. This vulnerability has been widely known for several years, and has created an underground library of illicit hotspots where private networks can be accessed. These listings evolved from the primitive but effective marking method known as war chalking, where hobbyists and hackers literally wrote on walls and sidewalks with chalk, labeling the wireless access available at those locations. This is not the same as the thousands of legitimate hotspots available to the public, either for free or for a fee.
Unknown to me until recently, a local security expert, Joseph Sorensen, recently drove around town through some residential neighborhoods and commercial areas, using his notebook computer, wireless card, and the same hacker software that I used, and logged the wireless networks he picked up. He found over 300 such networks in a matter of minutes, only about 20 percent of which were secured, leaving about 80 percent vulnerable. Many of the vulnerable networks he detected, just as I found two years ago, were major name brand systems that had only the default security settings, leaving them open and vulnerable. Another vulnerability, almost non-existent when I did my search, but which is now becoming very common are the wireless networks being sold by our local broadband sellers as part of a broadband internet package. Since almost all of these users use the default settings at installation, it would be easy for their neighbors to access their broadband internet connections at a minimum, or at worst, all of the information on their computers.
Another wireless vulnerability well known to the hacker community, but almost unknown to the users, are the security risks possible at the thousands of public hotspots, commonly in libraries, bookstores, airports, hotels, coffee shops, and other locations. Innocent users of these hotspots may not be aware that their computers may be accessed by unauthorized users. In a recent article by John Desmond, Countering Lack of Security in Wi-Fi Hot Spots published by eSecurity Planet, the author describes the risks of using these popular hot spots. Public hotspots are not secure, not even turned on with Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), the 1999-era security standard of 802.11 Wi-Fi communications, making them a risk for any business professional to use, says Mike Disabato, senior analyst with the Burton Group.
While I have been preaching security in this column since its inception several years ago, many are still unaware of the risks and possible solutions. This has created a cottage industry of small businesses specializing in securing systems, and other related services. Locally, one such company is Armored Wire, which at present is offering a free security analysis. If you would like to find out if your wireless network is secure, call (409) 861-4545 and Joseph Sorensen may be able to tell you if your network is one of the unsecured networks that he can detect outside of your home or business, and is therefore vulnerable.
If you have a wireless vulnerability, it is not a question of if you will be attacked, but it is likely that you will be attacked, and probably have already been compromised.
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