To WEP or Not to WEP?!?!?

[tenderidol]

When I first set up my home wireless network using Linksys products, I did not bother to change anything from the "default" setting, since we were at a very isolated location and the range of the coverage was not enough anybody to connect to our network... Well, we moved to a new apartment and after setting up the network here, one of the computers receive a "system error, same IP number exists in the network" message. It turns out that one of our neighboors has the default "linksys" network as well. This forced me to "customize" my home network with new passwords, ID names and WEP. I am trying to figure out whether I need WEP encryption for my home network... I know that it adds another layer of protection, but at the same time it decreases the overall performance of the connection due to encryption and de-coding. I haven't tried my CLIE with the new settings yet, but two laptops are configured, and I can see a difference (before and after WEP). I dont know how CLIE will handle it... 

I'd like to hear opinions on this....

Thanks in advance!

[neogin]

it's still very fast with WEP .. i recommend you to do so .. safty come first ..

[wellsjs]

If you choose not to enable WEP (security measures) on your wireless access point, you might as well give your neighbors your checkbook and credit cards and say, "Have fun!" :eek:

[volcanopele]

I am getting a definite preformance decrease with WEP enabled. With WEP enabled, I can't connect in my room, with it off I can. So what I did instead was to use MAC address restriction and I don't see a preformance decrease.

[wellsjs]

It's my understanding that even WEP is hackable, but MAC address restriction hacking is child's play for amateur hackers. Each of us must weigh the downside and the upside to implementing security on our networks. ;)

volcano, I would explore a different location of your wireless access point if that is an option, and applying encryption.

[anitanium]

with WEP on, your range gets SLIGHTLY decreased
i find with my linksys, i sometimes get very good instead of excdellent, but its worth it for the protection (i have neighbours using the same router, and i leech of them occasionally)

[wellsjs]

Originally posted by anitanium
(i have neighbours using the same router, and i leech of them occasionally) Case in point!!! ;) :D

[j0nblayz]

jus wondering, how is mac address spoofin possible? is there a address scanner program you can get or do you have to guess the address? you say that mac address is easly crackable, but how is it easily crackable?

[volcanopele]

Originally posted by wellsjs
It's my understanding that even WEP is hackable, but MAC address restriction hacking is child's play for amateur hackers. Each of us must weigh the downside and the upside to implementing security on our networks. ;)

volcano, I would explore a different location of your wireless access point if that is an option, and applying encryption. Unfortunately, the access point can't be movedvery far from its present location. It is in my landlady's office and she has the particular way of getting things out of here way and reducing clutter. I got the access point about as far up the wall as I possibly could.

I am considering trying to find a stronger antenna for the access point then enabling encryption. I understand that putting that in is best but I have to weigh having a more secure network and being able to access it at all from my room.

[tenderidol]

Originally posted by wellsjs
If you choose not to enable WEP (security measures) on your wireless access point, you might as well give your neighbors your checkbook and credit cards and say, "Have fun!" :eek:

 

I completely understand and agree with your point. However, does not this assume that my neighboors have to have "some" knowledge of hacking into computers over a wireless network? I know them and I dont think they "can" do this.. I use a firewall at "untrusted" network; so nothing is shared and nothing is "seen" under normal conditions... For example, I can connect to internet using my neighboors wireless connection, but I can not see their computers on the network. As I said, I understand the situation and decided to use a unique SSID, Mac filtering, Network password and WEP (128 bit) for protection; however -at least in my case- I still think that it's an overkill... Oh well, its better to be safe than sorry ;)

[xyeta]

I notice no decrease in performance or speed with WEP enabled. This thread is interesting to be because I thought MAC filtering was MORE secure than WEP.... I guess I was wrong.

As far as tenderidol's last comment... whether or not they actually get access to your computer is WORST case scenario. Even if thay can't access your machine, if they use your network (and therefore YOUR assigned IP), and then go online and 'do bad things' like send threatening emails or go to 'illegal' porn sites....when the search warrant and indictment comes down, it will have YOUR NAME and IP address on it....

Try to explain to a judge that it was your neighbor looking at kiddie porn, not you.... Doesn't matter, your name is still on the indictment.

At very least, you allowed access to such materials....

This thread makes me wonder if 64bit is enough?

[tenderidol]

Point is taken! At the moment I think I did everything that I could to protect our network, including 128 WEP :)

[wellsjs]

Glad you saw the light! ;) It's great you have neighbors you completely trust. Just remember though, there are very sinister people driving around with very sophisticated and sensitive equipment, looking for "open systems," and as the Bible says of Satan, "Seeking someone to devour!" :eek:

[anitanium]

you may not notice the decrease in performance with WEP enabled, but i did some extensive testing

i took my router to the highest part of my house and put it on the window sill
then i headed out the door with my laptop in hand

first test was with WEP off
i managed to get all the way up my block (around 6 houses wide)
then i went to cross the street and managed to make it to a friends house before it died

second was with WEP on
i could make it up the hill, but the moment it caught the houses, the interference caused to die quickly

i doubt you will be using it to scale streets, so WEP on would be a good idea.
go 128 bit for best encryption
i use 64 cause i'm the only one with wireless in my neighbourhood that knows what he's doing

[wellsjs]

Originally posted by xyeta
This thread makes me wonder if 64bit is enough? The latest wireless access point devices offer MAC address control and WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) in addition to WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) data encryption.

Keep in mind WEP is nothing more than protecting your data. Unique SSID, MAC address control, and WPA are deterrents to hackers getting into your system. Once "in," they can plant viruses, launch email denial of service attacks on websites from your computer, launch email virus attacks from your computer, not to mention steal and use credit card or other personal information that may be stored on your PC. In short, they may not kill you, but you may wish you were dead before it's all over! :eek:

[anitanium]

i'm lucky i live in a good neighbourhood

people up here in UBC trying to h4x the system lol

[Grey]

It depends on what you are doing. I don't agree with wellsjs about it being comparable to handing out credit card info etc, if you are transmitting that kind of info around your home network unencrypted, you've already got a problem - physical layer and datalink layer security is worth implementing but should never be relied on.

Don't ask your neighbours to be trustworthy, that's far to great a load to put on them. What happens if you get hacked? You'd be suspicious of them through no fault of theirs.

Be properly secure (you don't need to go nuts to have a tight system) or completly open, don't waste your time with halfways :)

Protect your bandwidth with WEP and MAC ACLs, if it's expensive then get something better, never rely on WEP to protect data, it's far too weak.