ISP and/or wifi security?

[rubberghost]

this is probably a very basic question and perhaps an old one. i searched but could not find...

i have an internet accnt with a major provider. i use wifi in the house of course. maybe i'm just paranoid but i'm sure many people have also had this question. how secure is my work/web behavior on my macbook pro? how easy is it for someone to tap in to my connection? i have stealth mode enabled and allow only essential traffic. who can spy on me? how close do they need to be? etc etc...

any help at all. thanks.

 

[ergdegdeg]

The obvious questions would be

Is your WiFi network secured?
Are you using a password and which encryption are you using?

 

[rubberghost]

yes on the password.
how do i know which encryption i'm using?

 

[ergdegdeg]

It depends on the router but usually it's under Wireless Security in the settings of the router.

Here's the 5 step guide to (really) securing your WiFi network from my Networking professor:

1. Change the router's admin password
2. Change the network's SSID (the name)
3. Turn off SSID broadcast (don't advertise your network)
4. Choose WPA-2 encryption with PSK-AES
5. Choose a passphrase (not password) that is at least 40 characters long and change it periodically

You should be able to find instructions on how to do this with your router model online or in the router's support pages.

 

[rubberghost]

awesome. i'll give it a shot. thanks.

 

[rubberghost]

i changed the admin on my mac but to change the password on my router/ISP, i think i need to contact AT&T... or do i?

 

[munkery]

i changed the admin on my mac but to change the password on my router/ISP, i think i need to contact AT&T... or do i?

Your router is the device that creates your LAN wireless network. What wireless router do you have?

Apple Airport routers are managed using the Apple Airport Utility in /Applications/Utilities. Other routers are often managed via a web interface using a standardized IP address for the brand of router.

 

[AshMan]

grab the router's ip, which will be the gateway address assigned in your tcpip settings in your macbook for the wireless.

Http into the gateway address, for instance http://192.168.1.1

Then you should be able to check your router configuration and reconfigure it.

If it is a 2wire branded unit then you should see a control panel with various settings you can change.

Most of the 2wire units I see that come from a provider are set up for WEP security which is easy enough to crack if you know how.

WPA2 is much better and harder to crack especially if you use a password as the others have suggested.

If it is encrypted then the chances of someone accessing your wireless info and steeling it are greatly reduced.

 

[rubberghost]

thanks for the help everyone.