Linksys WMCE54AG manual Dual-Band Wireless A/G Media Center Extender

Dual-Band Wireless A/G Media Center Extender

Change your SSID regularly so that any hackers who have gained access to your wireless network will have to start from the beginning in trying to break in.

MAC Addresses. Enable MAC Address filtering. MAC Address filtering will allow you to provide access to only those wireless nodes with certain MAC Addresses. This makes it harder for a hacker to access your network with a random MAC Address.

WEP Encryption. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is often looked upon as a cure-all for wireless security concerns. This is overstating WEP’s ability. Again, this can only provide enough security to make a hacker’s job more difficult.

There are several ways that WEP can be maximized:

1.Use the highest level of encryption possible

2.Use “Shared Key” authentication

3.Change your WEP key regularly

WPA. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is the newest and best available standard in Wi-Fi security. Two modes are available: Pre-Shared Key and RADIUS. Pre-Shared Key gives you a choice of two encryption methods: TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol), which utilizes a stronger encryption method and incorporates Message Integrity Code (MIC) to provide protection against hackers, and AES (Advanced Encryption System), which utilizes a symmetric 128-Bit block data encryption. RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service) utilizes a RADIUS server for authentication and the use of dynamic TKIP, AES, or WEP.

WPA Pre-Shared Key. If you do not have a RADIUS server, select the type of algorithm, TKIP or AES, enter a password in the Pre-Shared key field of 8-64 characters, and enter a Group Key Renewal period time

IMPORTANT: Always remember that each device in your wireless network MUST use the same encryption method and encryption key or your wireless network will not function properly.

Appendix B: Wireless Security 27

Security Threats Facing Wireless Networks