Network Security

Last week was long. I had a couple of days where I didn't have much sleep and when I was able to catch a few weeks, they were inconsistent. Thank god for the weekend though and now all is well. I've got some time to kill because I don't have to start work for another hour, so I figured I'd just do a little jamming on the blog and see what comes out of me.

First, let's start with my current setting. I'm in Caffeine, a local coffee shop in SoNo. Not only do they have good coffee here, but they also have free internet access. That is not to say, they offer free internet access. However, there are around 10 wireless networks in range to Caffeine and only four of them are locked.

Now, I know this is biting the hand that feeds, but if you've got a wireless internet base station, lock that thing up. You might be thinking that in a perfect world, the worst that would happen is that maybe your neighbors would jump on the internet for free and provided they weren't downloading big files or file sharing, no harm no foul.

Unfortunately, we live in a world with some bad bad people in it. People can use your wireless networks for illegal activity and they can hack into your computers on the network, invading your privacy and screwing things up.

Here's a perfect example. I know nothing about hacking computers. My only chance of seeing anyone's computer files thru my computer is if they have shared folders that allow guest access. This is where I can type in any name for a screen name and no password. If that doesn't work, I can use "guest" as a screen name with no password and that might work. Once you get past those options, I won't be "hacking" into your computer.

The network I'm on right now "linksys"...well that person has an unprotected folder with all their stuff for all the world to see. Oh...and by the way, a easy way to figure out if a person's network is hackable is if their network is named LINKSYS. Anyone who can't take 2 seconds to change the name of their router clearly lacks the skill to protect their computer.

Now, I don't consider myself a bad person but I am nosy and if you give me access and I know you can't catch me...well, I might look around. Mr. Linksys appears to be into graphic design and file sharing. HEY!!! For all you kids out there who don't want to get sued for downloading illegal music and movies, it's best not to label a folder on your hard drive, "eDonkey2000 Downloads", and then put it somewhere where anyone with a laptop and a cup of coffee can see it. (By the way, fret not RIAA. Mr. Linksys appears to be interested in stealing software and not music.)

There's one other reason why you might want to take a minute or two to password protect your wireless network. That reason would be if you have a folder on your computer labeled, "watchusmasturbate.com". When I saw that folder, my first instinct was to stear clear of it. I may be misguided on this, but I tend to associate the word masturbate with males more than females and I didn't want to risk it. However, when I went to copy the name of the folder so as not to mispell anything, I decided to take a peek. The folder is EMPTY. How friggin stupid is Mr. Linksys? I guess he didn't want the smut anymore but he just couldn't part with the folder.

In conclusion, if you have a wireless network, 1-change your network name from the default name that came with the router, 2-put a password on your network, and 3-if you're going to discard your porn, it doesn't matter unless you also delete the EVIDENCE of said porn. (I know, there was the music thing too, but lists work better in threes.

Alright. As always, blogging took longer than I thought, so I'm going to bail now and check in with you later. In theory, I should be posting consistently through the week.

Until next time.
Dave