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6 Burning Questions About Wireless Networks
alphadogg writes "Answers to wireless network questions such as: What impact will 802.11n have? Which wireless security threats are scariest? What of wireless VoIP? Will your organization need to change to support enterprise mobility? How do you control costs in an expanding mobile and wireless environment? What can you do to stop wireless denial-of-service attacks?"
This article is pure FUD (thats Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt). The questions in TFA are not so much burning or on fire as the title would suggest..
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Wi-Fizzle Research
Censorship is obscene. Patriotism is bigotry. Faith is a vice. Slashdot 2.0 sucks.
Is it up to Microsoft to require people to use secure passwords? Is it up to Oracle to require people with sensitive data to use the data encryption features of Oracle? Is it up to the postfix authors to require people to not run open mail relays?
As always, security is left up to those running the system. Similarly, wireless network security is up to those running the network. You can't force people to be secure. All you can do is strongly encourage it.
My blog
1. Why can't Router manufacturers make WPA the default and use "no security" instead?
2. Why can't we get the information just how far away the "full bandwidth" works, instead of finding out without fail that most APs can hardly provide the promised bandwidth over distances more than 5 yards?
3. How long 'til we can't use WiFi anymore because all frequencies are already taken by your neighbors and the companies around you? Worse, can you soon be forced to discontinue your WiFi use because the company next door needs your frequency? (Because, yes, it's unusable past 20 yards but can easily interfere with networks a few miles away, it seems)
4. What's the legal implication when someone uses my WiFi AP without my consent by hacking into it and distributing illegal material through it? I'm waiting for the first verdict where you have a completely secure AP, someone still manages to break it and then...?
5. In turn, what about "free" APs, kept open deliberately. What about town wide WiFi networks, a few cities already started a project but they never went anywhere. Care to tell us why?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
When is wireless not going to suck? Seriously. I don't use it because of absolutely rotten reliability. Inconsistent speed, and intermittent connections are a rotten tradeoff for being able to save a few wires here and there.
I don't respond to AC's.
Yes, but when you start Windows for the first time, it asks you to set a password. When you plug in your router, it does not ask you to set up wireless encryption. You can always leave the password blank for Windows, but you were at least given a prompt to set one.
Moral of the story: Never underestimate an idiot... They will always do nothing more than you make them.
Yes it's an anecdote! Were you expecting original research in a Slashdot comment?
Sponsored by AT&T
You mean "the new at&t" don't you? It's lowercase now so it's less threatening!
Your world. Delivered....to the NSA
"The Federal Reserve is a fraudulent system."--Lew Rockwell
End The FED. -
Right...
And you shall:
- Maintain your automobile, engine and all
- Prescribe your own medications
- Manage all the trades and investments in your retiremens account(s)
- Manage your local police force and do all the policing
- Raise and educate your child(ren) on your own (no teachers)
...
I would hope that all of these things the vast majority of people would not try. A few would be qualified to do some. For all of these things, we are directed by the *authorities* to have someone else do it, either because it is profitable or because it has become *public* knowledge that this is the way not to do this thing.Computers are surrounded by much mysticism. MS and others advertise all kinds of wonderful falsehoods. People believe them without knowing what is really happening. They trust them. As long as the public (in general, not the public here) trusts these companies to provide the solution in a box, and as long as they are reasured by the companies that these bad things do not really happen to their people with their products, a large percent of the userbase will continue to ignore those of us out hear yelling "The king is naked" (from a fairy tale). We are a small number of people and we are fighting marketing departments and laziness. So, I think these companies that claim to provide said protection ought to provide that protection out of the box and to force people to use things like secure paswords.
Yeah, I have been a sysadmin for college types and business types, and yeah, the business types were far worse, but in the end, my job was to fulfill my claim of having a secure network, and that meant doing unpopular things like forcing secure passwords.
InnerWeb
Freud might say that Intelligent Design is religion's ID.
And what will you do when the police come knocking on your door because someone filmed child porn in your backyard?
Why risk it? Put up a 20 foot fence!
What will you do when you find out that a homicide was committed with your hotwired car? How about the death threats made on your phone line (you should have bought a T1 and used encryption back to the CO)? What about the death threats to the president spray painted on your garage? The weed grown by the alley at the back of your lot? etc...
Get real! This is life. The benefits of open WiFi far outweigh the risks. Hell, I've used lots of anonymous connections in a pinch (most recently to look up the default IP of my radio, to configure it).
You drive down the street with a complete strangers approaching with a closing speed of over 110 mph, but you wont leave your internet connection open?!
Joe
Joe Batt Solid Design
Sure, they could do those things. They could do similar things for any number of trumped-up charges in cases where it's easier to point a finger than do actual detective work. The question is, at what point do you stop living your life as you would choose to live it, to keep 'safe'.
Now, realize I'm a liberal and actually have some balls, unlike those pussy neo-cons who are willing to trade their freedom from security from 'the evil terrorists who are going to kill us all at any moment'. If the police harass honest citizens, we need to stand up to it, rather than just roll over as the neo-cons do to anything that they think might make them less safe. Dealing with it can be real bothersome, but giving up freedom is a LOT more bothersome.
I'm curious ... you seem to be implying there are MTAs that are open relays upon install. Please, show us one.
I receive no benefits from opening up my wifi. I receive benefits if someone else does.
That said, the problem is the current laws and administration. They don't understand that an IP address received from your ISP does not uniquely identify the end-user. Furthermore, the absurd invasion of my home and holding of my property in computer-based crimes is unreal. They'll take your computers, all your media (even obviously retail DVDs), your gaming systems, your TiVo, your VCR.... And that's without any proof that you did anything. It's evidence that they hold while they build the case, and in some states, you may never get it back, even if no case is brought against you. Even assuming that they'll hold the stuff until the statute of limitations passes, it might as well be forever.
Computers aren't well understood by the police and courts, and thus they take everything overboard. I don't want to be one of the cases where my connection is abused and my life is turned upside down because of the ignorance of those in charge.
I don't want to be one of the cases where my connection is abused and my life is turned upside down because of the ignorance of those in charge.
So you have 2 choices-
1) Never do ANYTHING that those 'idiots in charge' might EVER mistake for illegal.
2) Get rid of the idiots and get SMART people in charge. (Or at least technology-wise people)
It is much like a gun. If you don't properly secure it, and your child gets a hold of it and shoots someone (accidentally or otherwise) they're going to be pretty hard on you if you left it loaded on the couch.
What a complete load of crap.
Is there some law that says access points have to be controlled like guns?
Did you need to get a license for your wireless router?
Was there a 3-day waiting period to get one when you went to Best Buy?
Have you told your local Starbucks/coffee-shop or University that they better turn off their open access points or risk going to jail because they are essentially throwing around loaded guns?
No???
Having an open wireless access point isn't against the law. Why would they 'be harder on you' for doing nothing more than having an open access point? Either you have kiddie porn on your machine or not. If you don't then don't be a wimp and live your life in fear.
Do you put boots on all four tires of your car each night to make sure no one steals it and kills someone with it? Why not? THEY COULD!!!
Don't give in to the overreaction and ignorance. Fight it. We need to fight it.
Becaus ethis still isn't working well. Hell, I both KNOW ABOUT and WANT TO setup authentication to a RADIUS/IAS server on my AD controller, which is technically SUPPORTED by my non-consumer WAP.
Yet I don't because I can't get it to work.