Planning Your Wireless Network
Security Threats Facing Wireless Networks
Cisco PVC2300 and WVC2300 Internet Video Cameras with Audio Administration Guide
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Security Threats Facing Wireless Networks
Cisco wants to make wireless networking as safe and easy for you as possible.
The current generation of Cisco products provide several network security
features, but they require specific action on your part for implementation. So, keep
the following suggestions in mind whenever you are setting up or using your
wireless network. Also, see
“Setting Security Precautions on the Cisco
WVC2300” on page 120
.
Wireless networks are easy to find. Hackers know that in order to join a wireless
network, wireless networking products first listen for “beacon messages.” These
messages can be easily decrypted and contain much of the network’s information,
such as the network’s SSID (Service Set Identifier). Here are the steps you can
take to prevent intruders:
Change the administrator’s password regularly. With every wireless networking
device you use, keep in mind that network settings (SSID, WEP keys, etc.) are
stored in its firmware. Your network administrator is the only person who can
change network settings. If a hacker learns the administrator’s password, he, too,
can change those settings. So, make it harder for a hacker to get that information.
Change the administrator’s password regularly.
SSID. There are several things to keep in mind about the SSID:
•
Do not broadcast it
•
Make it unique
•
Change it often
Most wireless networking devices will give you the option of broadcasting the
SSID. While this option may be more convenient, it allows anyone to log into your
wireless network. This includes hackers. So, don’t broadcast the SSID.
Wireless networking products come with a default SSID set from the factory. (The
Cisco default SSID is “ciscosb”.) Hackers know these defaults and can check
these against your network. Change your SSID to something unique and not
something related to your company or the networking products you use.
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 allows 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.
