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Take Control of Your Wi-Fi Security
Learn how to keep intruders out of your wireless network and protect your sensitive communications!
It's ten o'clock—do you know who's using your wireless network? If you haven't turned on network security, someone could be eavesdropping on your email, plucking your Web and email passwords out of the air, or sending spam through your Internet connection right now! When you're using a wireless network—whether from a Macintosh with AirPort gear, Windows with any Wi-Fi equipment, or any portable handheld device— you're exposed to risk unless you take the necessary steps to protect yourself.
This ebook is old! Unless you're looking for a history lesson, you probably don't want to buy this ebook. See the Blog tab, below, for details. A different ebook, Take Control of Networking & Security in iOS 6 is newer and might be a better choice.
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- Contents & Intro
- What’s New
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Wireless networking experts Glenn Fleishman and Adam Engst have spent years covering wireless security on Glenn's Wi-Fi Networking News blog and in two editions of The Wireless Networking Starter Kit. Now they've distilled that experience into this essential guide for anyone using wireless networks, whether at home, at work, or on the road. You'll learn how to evaluate your real security risks; the best way to restrict access to your network; how to secure your data in transit with SSL/TLS, SSH, and VPNs; and how to avoid viruses and attacks. The book provides extra advice on how to secure a small-office wireless network, including setting up 802.1X for secure Wi-Fi logins.
"The authors, two guys with enormous geek credibility, take the confusing tangle of Wi-Fi security issues and break it down for you in plain language. The book is a marvel of excellent technical writing for a general audience."
—Barry Campbell on Blogcritics.org
Read this book to learn the answers to questions like:
- Should I worry about someone eavesdropping on my home wireless network?
- What three security measures should I take immediately to lock down my wireless gateway?
- What common security measures aren't worthwhile?
- Why is WEP not worth bothering with, and what should I use instead?
- How do I set up guest networking on newer AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule models?
- How do I set up WPS on Apple and non-Apple gear?
- What does it mean if I see green shading in my browser's URL field?
- Do I need a VPN to protect my sensitive work communications?
- What is sidejacking, and what should I do about it?
- Can I control access to my wireless network by user name and password?
- What software can I use for secure email and file transfer?
- How does public-key encryption work?
- Our office has only 15 people—can we afford the best Wi-Fi security?
Book Info
iPad & KindleAn EPUB is available to purchasers of this title; log in to your account to download it. More info... A Mobipocket file is available to purchasers of this title; log in to your account to download it. More info... |
About the Author
Adam C. Engst is the publisher of TidBITS and of the Take Control ebook series. He has written numerous technical books, including the best-selling Internet Starter Kit series, and many magazine articles - thanks to Contributing Editor positions at MacUser, MacWEEK, and now Macworld. He has been turned into an action figure. |
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Glenn Fleishman is a tech journalist based in Seattle, where he lives with his wife and two sons, both of whom are adept at accidentally pressing the power button on his laptop.
He’s a contributing editor at Introduction
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you.
—Internet security saying
Networking wasn't supposed to be like this. When computer networks were invented, no one anticipated hundreds of millions of naive users. Nor did they expect crackers, viruses, worms, spam, or spyware. But that's where we've ended up. Most people are clueless about security, and few people devote any time to making their systems secure.
The biggest security risk comes from the fact that computers are all networked these days: to each other and to the Internet. Want a totally secure computer? Make sure it isn't connected to the Internet, or to any other computer, and put it in a locked room with an armed guard checking identification on those who enter. Not very useful, eh?
Wireless networking, because it makes connecting computers so simple, makes proper security even more critical. Before wireless networking, you could rely on a locked door to restrict access to your Ethernet jacks, and thus to your network. But now, transmissions over wireless networks—because they go through locked doors, along with walls, ceilings, floors, and other obstructions—are easily intercepted by consumer-level equipment just like the gear you use to connect your computers and access point.
So anyone within range of your wireless network can connect to it, and, unless you've taken appropriate precautions, wreak all sorts of havoc. And, unfortunately, understanding the reality of wireless security is nowhere near as simple as setting up a wireless network to start.
Our goal in Take Control of Your Wi-Fi Security is to bring clarity to the topic; to help you determine how worried you should be about different security problems; and to give you the knowledge you need to lock down your network, protect your data in transit, and secure your systems against attack.
Before we get started, we want to mention a few important caveats:
- We're writing this book for individual users with wireless networks at home and for people who run small to medium-sized office networks (from 2 to 50 people), not for veteran network administrators who manage large institutional networks.
- Security, whether you're talking about protecting your car, your home, or your wireless network, is hard, mostly because it's a battle with another human being. Locking your door with a simple knob lock stops amateur thieves, but keeping more experienced thieves out requires a strong deadbolt. And if you live where burglary is likely, or if you have especially valuable property, you have to think about whether multiple locks, alarm systems, or bars on the windows are also necessary. Unfortunately, the kind of people who break into networks are usually much smarter than garden-variety thieves, and as a result, the security measures you must take are commensurately more complicated. So, our apologies up front, but some sections of this book are inherently quite technical.
- Because every network uses different hardware, software, and configurations, we can't give exact, foolproof, step-by-step instructions for every task we explain. That said, by the time you finish reading this book, you should have the background necessary to configure the networking hardware and software you do have (or are willing to purchase) to the level of security you want to achieve.
We've been using and writing about various forms of networking for more than 40 years combined, and we've both set up and maintained numerous wired and wireless networks over that time. And over those years of networking computers together, we've experienced the seedier side of the industry: attacks on our networks via the Internet, password thefts, wireless snoopers, and more. We've shared our experience in many articles and public presentations, and now we look forward to sharing it with you.
Quick Start
You can read this title in the order shown here, or you can click a link to jump to a topic immediately. That said, if you're new to the topic of security, we encourage you to read Determine Your Security Risk first to get a sense of how concerned you should be about security.
Determine how worried you should be about security:
- Learn about the three Ls of security: likelihood of attack, liability in the event of loss, and lost opportunity. See Determine Your Security Risk.
- Figure out where you stand on the continuum of people who should be concerned about security. See What You Should Do.
Lock down your wireless network:
- Take care of three basic security measures with the configuration of your Wi-Fi router. Read Use Secure Settings.
- Discover which widely used security mechanisms won't prevent determined attackers. See Ignore These Sops to Security and Watch out for WEP encryption.
- Turn on wireless security that is guaranteed to keep intruders out. See Use Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA or WPA2) and Simplify with Wi-Fi Protected Setup. Also, be sure to read Appendix A: Password Advice.
- Consider setting up special access features for guests; see Use Apple’s guest networking and Share via Devicescape).
- If you need to protect more than just a home computer or two, be sure to read Secure Small Office Wi-Fi for additional details.
Protect your data in transit:
- Keep miscreants from discovering your passwords and reading your communications. See Encrypt Email Passwords and Encrypt Specific Files and Messages.
- Armor your Internet sessions inside protected tunnels to keep snoopers from listening to your traffic. See Encrypt Sessions and Data Sequences with SSL/TLS, Encrypt Data Streams with SSH, and Encrypt All Data with a VPN.
Secure your computers:
- Protect Your Systems from viruses, spyware, and crackers.
What's New in Version 1.7
This update includes the following changes:
- The ebook still covers Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, but minor changes for 10.6 Snow Leopard are now incorporated. It also still refers to older versions of Windows, but Windows-specific sections now include Windows 7.
- The ebook is updated to be aware that iPhone OS is now iOS and that the iPad has joined Apple’s line of mobile devices.
- Determine Your Liability was updated to discuss the latest state of affairs, with numerous small changes.
- In Use Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA or WPA2), we’ve added clarifying details and updated the discussion generally, plus we’ve made several revisions to move our emphasis to the newer WPA2 security standard.
- The topic Share via Devicescape is now called Share via Easy WiFi, and it now describes the latest details on this Web service that helps you manage and share access to your Wi-Fi hotspot or network.
- Overall, we’ve added a few snippets about recent security flaws in Wi-Fi and related protocols, and we’ve moved the discussions forward to reflect a late-2010 point of view.
What Was New in Version 1.6
We created this version to update the ebook in a variety of areas:
- The ebook was fully updated for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.
- We added an updated discussion of Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), a simpler way of securing Wi-Fi networks. See Use Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA or WPA2).
- The ebook added a section on how to Use Apple’s guest networking.
- Secured Web sites included discussion Enhanced Validation Web sites, something you may be interested in knowing about next time you do online banking.
I have a wireless router connected to cable modem, but my router isn't from Apple. Will this book help me set up WPA2 (or WPA) security on my wireless network?
The book does explain how to set up WPA2 security, but we don't provide specific instructions for each router, since there are a wide variety of slightly different interfaces. The details we offer should be enough to make your router work, and we do include step-by-step setup directions for Mac OS X, Windows XP, and Windows Vista for configuring WPA2 connections to a router that uses WPA2 encryption.
Can I read this ebook on an iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, or Kindle?
There are lots of great ways to read our ebooks on these devices. For more details, please read our latest Device Advice.
Ask a Question
Feel free to ask us if you have a question about this title!
Send Us Your Comments!
How could we not publish such kind words? If you'd like to send us your comments (good or bad, though we hope they're all good), just click the Feedback link on the cover of your copy of the ebook. Be sure to let us know if we can publish your comment. Thanks!
Update Plans
November 16, 2012 -- We don't plan to update this ebook. Although we might address the topic again in a fresh way and in a new ebook, this particular ebook has lived a good life but is now moving to the obsolete category. Here's co-author Glenn Fleishman's take on the situation...
Several chapters are aging rapidly:
Determine Your Security Risk: This chapter seems quaint now, as people generally know why to freak out (if not specifically what's at risk). A lot of at-risk things have been switched to default to secure methods, too (Twitter, most email, etc.).
Secure Your Data in Transit: Full of a lot of information that people don't really need any more. Also, the level of detail at which we explain SSH, public key cryptography, and SSL/TLS seems entirely unnecessary now.
Protect Your Systems: Very out of date on NAT (which I no longer consider even a passive protection) and firewalls. Also, it does not cover full-disk encryption, as it wasn't a viable option for Mac until recently.
Small Office Wi-Fi: Isn't bad, but it's got a lot more detail than is needed now. 802.1X, for instance, if it works, it just works, and you don't need to know that.
—Tonya Engst
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