|
Wireless networks are becoming more and more popular, and for good reason. Especially if you have broadband Internet access, a wireless router can give you instant communication with the world that is worthy of the science fiction I grew up reading! The idea of reading email while lounging by the pool, text or instant messaging while doing the laundry, or lounging in the Jacuzzi listening to your MP3 collection is appealing to us all. Unfortunately, many, or even most, wireless units don't come with security features already functioning. This may not seem like a big issue to someone who is simply setting up a home network, but there are a number of potential problems you should consider. The most serious problem is the increase in identity theft. If your network is unsecured, the personal data on your wireless electronic equipment is also unsecured. The order you just placed for a book at Amazon may have given your contact and payment information to an unscrupulous hacker! Nearly every town in which "WiFi" is common will have "War Drivers" and "War Chalkers" at work. These are people who walk or drive around town with wireless equipment, searching for unsecured networks. The "Chalkers" then live up their name, marking curbs and other public items with chalk so that others can more easily find and exploit your network. Not all "War Drivers" are hackers, of course. Many just want to use your network for free, but the risk is high if you don't learn how to protect yourself. You can usually find quite a bit of free information as to how to secure your network at the website of your router's manufacturer, or by doing a search in a search engine for a phrase like "secure home wireless." Beyond the truly malicious, there are also your neighbors who may find your network by accident and enjoy nosing into your activities and using your Internet access at will, slowing down your network speed in the process. Even many businesses use cheap, home-use quality equipment for their company networks. With the poor security often found on small business networks, anyone with a basic knowledge of wireless can access sensitive company and customer data. If you are unable to secure your network yourself, there are many service companies who will do it for you. A search of your local yellow pages or an inquiry at your neighborhood computer store should yield professional help and get your private data private again.
Other site's News
- 100+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events
Every week, Mashable puts together a calendar of upcoming social media and web events, parties and conferences. Would you like to have your conference or event listed here? If so, please contact us at least one month before your event…
- BRIEFLY: Sept. 3
See what's happening in and around Halifax.
- The Rise of the Anti-Facebooks
Facebook is dominating social media in almost every country where it hasn't been banned, and the six-year old site shows no signs of slowing down. It's creeping across generations, replacing things like the phone book and introducing tools the masses had no idea they needed. It's also indoctrinating the world into adopting the Mark Zuckerberg Values of "openness," "sharing" and "living your ...
- Top 10 technology merger mistakes
After last weeks look at some of the most important mergers in the IT worldits time to look at the other side of the coin when mergers show managementmistakes.
- Does technology pose a threat to our private life?
This week Google's Eric Schmidt suggested we may need to invent new identities to escape embarrassing online pasts – while Facebook launched a tool to share users' locations. So does technology pose a threat to private life? Are you in a relationship? What are your political views? And where did you go for breakfast this morning? What would once have been details of our lives known only by those ...
- How to Market Your Ecommerce Site with WordPress Blogs - Part One
Imagine if you could implement a marketing strategy for your online business that would attract new customers and foster buyer loyalty, build credibility and trust in your niche, and enable you to give your business a strong Unique Selling Position (USP). What if this powerful marketing strategy were free or low cost, and you that you could begin implementing this strategy today with no prior ...
- Mom challenges Vallecito district
School board denies transfer for special-needs students After being threatened with a lawsuit if it didn't approve an interdistrict transfer for the children of an Angels Camp mother, the Vallecito Union School District board decided to postpone its decision on the matter until a special meeting is held at 5 p.m. today.
- Time to pay the price: High school athletes hit with new fee
Calaveras High School football players were back on the practice field this week to start preparations for the fall season. All CHS athletes have until the first game of the season to pay a new mandatory $50 athletic fee.
- Hunting For A Job? Try the Internet
In the past several years, the Internet has created a new way for people to search for that "perfect" job. Employment hunting has become much more fun. It is easy to search for possible positions with a company, business or educational facility.
|
|
