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Old 04-04-05, 12:38 AM   #1 (permalink)
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STEP BY STEP guide to secure wireless??

Can someone point me in a good direction. I want to stop broadcasting my signal from my wireless in the house and the only thing I have done is change the ssid...I did that right out of the box about a year ago. Now that everyone is on the band wagon I figure it's time to go underground.. ;-).........I sat here the other night and thought..what the heck I'll try and figure it out...no luck..took my entire system down....no biggie in getting it up but when you have other wireless devices IT'S A PAIN....

Anyone know of a good site or forum here on step by step guide to setting this up properly and fast...thanks --brenda
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Old 04-04-05, 12:53 AM   #2 (permalink)
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If you have not yet, check out Ikehiker's wifi guide.

Here is a good article to help you better understand WEP.

I would also recomend using MAC filtering. You can get the MAC address of your Axim by looking under the battery. Just enter that address into the allowed list of your router.
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Old 04-04-05, 01:41 AM   #3 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by jpmarth
I would also recomend using MAC filtering.
I brought this subject up in this thread http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showthread.php?t=78626.

I would like to know what MAC filtering does on your router. On my D-Link it only stops people fron getting on the Internet. It does nothing to prevent unauthorized wireless access from intruders.
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Old 04-04-05, 01:59 AM   #4 (permalink)
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Here is a good article on the problems with MAC filtering.

You should always use both WEP and MAC filtering to give yourself the best security.

Remember, when you have both activated it takes some effort for someone to break into your network. Even the strong willed war-drivers aren't going to want to bother with sitting outside your place for 30 minutes just to get a free internet connection.
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Old 04-04-05, 01:59 AM   #5 (permalink)
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Here's the definition of MAC filtering in my router's panel:

MAC Filters
Use MAC address to allow or deny computers access to the network.

I use MAC filtering, disable my SSID's broadcast, & use strong 128-Bit Strong WEP keys, which I generate using the Warewolf Labs Strong WEP key generator (google it for the link)
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Old 04-04-05, 02:21 AM   #6 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by wooch
Here's the definition of MAC filtering in my router's panel:

MAC Filters
Use MAC address to allow or deny computers access to the network.
My docs specify that MAC filtering controls access to the WAN (the Internet). I tested it and it had no effect on gaining wireless access to my LAN. Maybe different routers have the ability to filter inbound wireless access to the LAN?
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Old 04-04-05, 02:46 AM   #7 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by VegasGuy
My docs specify that MAC filtering controls access to the WAN (the Internet). I tested it and it had no effect on gaining wireless access to my LAN. Maybe different routers have the ability to filter inbound wireless access to the LAN?
This is probably a dumb suggestion, but are you using MAC filtering under wireless or just MAC filtering in general?

I used to have a router that had MAC filtering [mind you it was a NON-wireless router], and it would filter anything going through it [which was only to my internet connection].

I now have a wireless router and it will not allow any access between my Wireless LAN and LAN/WAN if the MAC isn't on the "approved" list... in fact it won't even give out an IP address...

This is on a Netgear WGR614 w/ 128 WEP, MAC address filtering and broadcast SSID = off. I'd prefer to use WPA-PSK, however my PSP doesn't support WPA yet :(
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Old 04-04-05, 11:45 AM   #8 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by phdeez
are you using MAC filtering under wireless or just MAC filtering in general?
The D-Link only has one section for MAC filtering under Advanced Tab > Filters Button and it prevents users that are already on the LAN (on the home/office side of the firewall) from getting out past the firewall to the Internet (the WAN).

Here is what the docs say for the DI-514:

Filters - MAC Filters
Use MAC Filters to deny computers within the local area network from accessing the Internet. You can either manually add a MAC address or select the MAC address from the list of clients that are currently connected to the unit.
Select "Only allow computers with MAC address listed below to access the network" if you only want selected computers to have network access and all other computers not to have network access.
Select "Only deny computers with MAC address listed below to access the network" if you want all computers to have network access except those computers in the list.
Name: The name referencing the MAC filter.
MAC Address: The MAC address of the computer in the LAN (Local Area Network) to be used in the MAC filter table.


The first line is the one that caught my attention: "Use MAC Filters to deny computers within the local area network from accessing the Internet." As I read it, it does not provide ANY wireless security.

My Axim MAC address' last two digits are 5D and I have a MAC filter set up on the D-Link router with my Axim's MAC address. When I first set it up based on the information I read here, I thought it would allow ONLY my Axim to access my network via the wireless connection because all other MAC addresses would be filtered out. After getting everything working, I was re-reading the docs about MAC filtering and saw the information above. So, I tested my MAC filter in the router setup by changing the 5D to 5C. I was still able to get onto my home/office network (the LAN). This contradicted the suggestions about using MAC filtering to provide an extra layer of security in addition to some form of encryption, like WEP. (I also tested an incorrect WEP key and I was kept out like it should have.)

It would be foolish of me to say that all routers work this way. I only know the DI-514 works this way. However, there may be other routers that are like the DI-514. My only point is that someone may set up MAC filtering on their router thinking that it is providing at least SOME extra security when, in fact, it does nothing to keep an intruder off your home/office network. The only thing it would do is to stop the intruder from surfing the net. Others may want to test what their MAC filtering does for them.

[Edit] I looked at some user manuals online at the D-Link site and the DI-624 has the same configuration user interface as the DI-514 which means no wireless MAC filtering. I looked at the Linksys site and at the WRT54G wireless router. The WRT54G DOES have wireless MAC filtering. So, which router you have does make a difference. MAC filtering may offer an extra level of protection depending upon which router you own and if the filters are for wireless access to prevent unauthorized access from outside the network. The two D-Link routers 514 & 624 do not. It has been a good day, I learned something new.

Last edited by VegasGuy; 04-04-05 at 05:57 PM.
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Old 04-04-05, 06:10 PM   #9 (permalink)
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I have a DLINK 624. I go to Advanced>Filters>MAC Filters. I then have three options that I have listed below:

Disabled MAC Filters
Only allow computers with MAC address listed below to access the network
Only deny computers with MAC address listed below to access the network

I have "radio button" checked that allows "only the computers with the MAC address that I list to access the network." I can filter MAC addresses on my DLINKk 624.

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Old 04-04-05, 06:35 PM   #10 (permalink)
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This is how I have mine DI-624 set up as well . . .
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Old 04-04-05, 08:47 PM   #11 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by jpmarth
Here is a good article on the problems with MAC filtering.

You should always use both WEP and MAC filtering to give yourself the best security.

Remember, when you have both activated it takes some effort for someone to break into your network. Even the strong willed war-drivers aren't going to want to bother with sitting outside your place for 30 minutes just to get a free internet connection.
Better recheck your facts. With the lastest hack tools, a WEP key can be broke in 5 minutes or less. Once that is done, it does not take long to realize that MAC filtering is being used. Provided one device talking to the AP, getting around a MAC address filter can take less than a minute.

That said, unless there is some information they want from you, this is more than enough security. First, they most likely wanting free Internet connectivity so they will look for easier pickings. Second, if you are worried about someone stealing personal info from your computer, install a firewall. ZoneAlarm (www.zomelabs.com) is free. Third, applying this basic security will relieve you of any liablity should a hacker use you network to cause damage to another party.
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Old 04-04-05, 09:01 PM   #12 (permalink)
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Old 04-04-05, 09:07 PM   #13 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by jlkd
I have a DLINK 624. I go to Advanced>Filters>MAC Filters. I then have three options that I have listed below:

Disabled MAC Filters
Only allow computers with MAC address listed below to access the network
Only deny computers with MAC address listed below to access the network

I have "radio button" checked that allows "only the computers with the MAC address that I list to access the network." I can filter MAC addresses on my DLINKk 624.
I have the same configuration, too. As it turns out, I am both wrong and right. I did some further digging into my setup and here is what I found. If I change my Axim's MAC address to an incorrect one (or remove it completely) in the D-Link router MAC filter, I CANNOT access the PC's on our network. However, since Internet access is provided by a different router (a Linksys) that is attached to the D-Link router on the LAN side (not the WAN port), I CAN still get through our network to the Linksys router and have Internet access. So, the MAC filter is still somehow letting my packets pass through the wireless access and allowing them to be forwarded to the Linksys router with the WAN access.

In conclusion, I will just say it: I am more wrong than I am right. My bad.
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Old 04-04-05, 11:18 PM   #14 (permalink)
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That's because the DLink router is probably cloning the MAC when it leaves. So the MAC seen by the Linksys could be the MAC of the DLink, not the end device. Speculation though, depends on the config.

I just tested MAC Filtering with my DI 624 and it won't let me connect to the router if my MAC is not listed. This is even MORE aggressive than my Linksys BEFW11S4 v4, that would let me connect and get an IP but not talk to any nodes (or the Internet).
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Old 04-04-05, 11:23 PM   #15 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by dlweston
Better recheck your facts. With the lastest hack tools, a WEP key can be broke in 5 minutes or less. Once that is done, it does not take long to realize that MAC filtering is being used. Provided one device talking to the AP, getting around a MAC address filter can take less than a minute.

That said, unless there is some information they want from you, this is more than enough security. First, they most likely wanting free Internet connectivity so they will look for easier pickings. Second, if you are worried about someone stealing personal info from your computer, install a firewall. ZoneAlarm (www.zomelabs.com) is free. Third, applying this basic security will relieve you of any liablity should a hacker use you network to cause damage to another party.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/index.php?p=41

Quote:
In the past, a hacker was at the mercy of waiting long periods of time for legitimate traffic on a wireless LAN to collect 10 million of packets to break a WEP key. In my previous blog on this topic, which was based on Mike Ossmann’s WEP article, I alerted you to the startling fact that even wireless LANs that used 802.1x/EAP authentication to dynamically assign unique per-user, per-session WEP keys were no longer safe against WEP hacking since WEP cryptanalysis had improved 50 fold. Instead of waiting for hours or even days for those 10 million packets, you now only needed about 200,000 packets to break WEP. Even though dynamic WEP key rotation could change a user’s WEP key every few minutes or so (note that key rotation isn’t always implemented by default), the new WEP cryptanalysis techniques put even dynamic WEP in striking range. Now with the new active attacks on WEP described in Ossmann’s follow-up article, hackers no longer need to passively wait for legitimate packets on a wireless LAN because they can actively inject packets into a wireless LAN to ensure a speedy packet collection session. The end result is, any WEP based network with or without Dynamic WEP keys can now be cracked in minutes! If you’re scared, you should be and you’d better go back and read the recommendations in the end of my previous blog if you’re still running WEP in any form.
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