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Home WiFi Network Security Failings Exposed

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the passwords-are-for-suckers dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The shocking state of home wireless (Wi-Fi) network security in the UK has been revealed by a life assistance company study. CPP used an 'ethical hacker,' Jason Hart, to test thousands of Wi-Fi networks across six UK cities, including London. He found that many didn't even have a password and roughly half of home UK Wi-Fi networks could be hacked in less than 5 seconds."

8 of 161 comments (clear)

  1. "Life assistance" = identity theft protection by Sockatume · · Score: 3, Informative

    If you were in any doubt as to why they were sponsoring a study which discovered something scary about the intertrons.

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    No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
  2. No password WiFi != unsecured by Omnifarious · · Score: 5, Informative

    My Wi-Fi has no password, and that's a purposeful choice. While evaluating the passwords on WiFi that does have a password is a reasonable analysis, it's not reasonable to call any WiFi without a password as unsecured.

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    Need a Python, C++, Unix, Linux develop
    1. Re:No password WiFi != unsecured by rotide · · Score: 3, Informative

      Frankly, spoofing wireless MAC addresses are easier than cracking WEP. Hell, one of the first steps in using backtrack, etc, is to spoof your mac before associating with the AP.

    2. Re:No password WiFi != unsecured by JayJay.br · · Score: 5, Informative

      Not if the communication is not encrypted and there is any traffic at the time.

  3. Re:Default password security by indros · · Score: 2, Informative

    Unfortunately that only changes the login for your router admin page. That has nothing to do with WEP/WPA/WPA2.

  4. Rubbish. by Curmudgeonlyoldbloke · · Score: 3, Informative

    "* We found that nearly a quarter of private wireless networks has no password whatsoever attached, making them immediately accessible to criminals."

    So that's not just home networks then, that includes businesses deliberatly running open wifi as a service to visitors, and all sorts of commercial access points that are "open" in that they get you to a login provider for the service, which you then have to log in to? How many these "private wireless networks" are adhoc wireless on one PC connected to nothing in particular?

    The first link is just an advert selling snake-oil, the second contains no information to speak of. No link to any "report" at all.

  5. Re:OT Question by Lumpy · · Score: 2, Informative

    ipcop firewall with a red green and blue interface. run them on the blue interface and run dans guardian on it as well as limit the bandwidth and ports allowed.

    20 minutes work. and less than $60.00 if you find a Nokia IP130 firewall used.

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    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  6. Re:Default password security by master0ne · · Score: 2, Informative

    This points out a major issue, many non technical users often do not know the difference between security of the router and security of the wifi signal itself. Many people just change the router's password and think they are "safe".

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    Noone writes jokes in base 13!