Wireless Network Security

[BaLa]

I know this has been covered quite in-depth.

I even have this thread bookmarked
http://forums.speedguide.net/showthread.php?t=137062&highlight=secure+wireless+network



just a quick question.

technically if I have Mac Address filtering, could I forget about all the other stuff?

Since they wont even be able to get in?

[cataclysmcow]

technically if I have Mac Address filtering, could I forget about all the other stuff? Since they wont even be able to get in?

No ... MAC address filtering is barely even considered a security feature; it's more of an administration feature. If you have the ability to limit the administration interface of your access point/router to one MAC address that is handy, but in general there's no need to use MAC address filtering. It can be comprimised in less than 15 seconds.

All you need for general security is 64bit WEP - don't bother with longer key lengths. It will prevent anyone from casually associating with your network or sniffing your traffic. To crack WEP usually takes a few hours of moderate traffic - few ppl are willing to sit in one place that long. If you need stronger security look into WiFi devices that support WPA-PSK or consider setting up a VPN endpoint behind your access point (or 802.1x).

One more thing ... do not turn off SSID-broadcast in an effort to secure your network. 802.11 uses SSID broadcast for proper operation and turning it off does nothing in the way of security.