Misc Security Settings - WEP and WPA

[doubledash]

I wanna get online with my DS but my router security settings is set to WPA and it has to be on WEP. I'd rather just change the settings than get a $30 wifi usb connector, but "apparently" its too unsafe. My family likes it set on WPA because it's safer and such, but is it really that big of a problem if it's set to WEP? Why is it so unsafe to use WEP?

 

[lawliet]

A WEP key is very easy to crack, much easier than WPA. But unless you have some top secret data being transmitted over your network, I think WEP should be sufficient to stop some petty snooping on your wireless network.

You could reinforce the security a little by using some MAC Address filtering but again, this is not foolproof.

 

[Strider]

A WEP key is very easy to crack, much easier than WPA. But unless you have some top secret data being transmitted over your network, I think WEP should be sufficient to stop some petty snooping on your wireless network.

You could reinforce the security a little by using some MAC Address filtering but again, this is not foolproof.

I disagree, WEP has serious flaws, it can easily be snooped/sniffed without any effort. That's why I'm so mad Nintendo only gave us WEP with the DS and I won't configure my access point for it.

Consider WEP having no encryption at all.

Edit:

And sniffing some, you see the MAC addresses communicating with the access point, and can fake yours to a seen one.

 

[swiitness]

So the only option we have is to purchase a USB wifi adapter?

 

[coolbho3000]

Just turn on MAC filtering, WEP, and hide your SSID, that should get rid of 99% of hackers who would rather go for an unencrypted access point than bother with yours. If you have many unencrypted access points around you, they'll cover for your network.

 

[dark_edo]

If you hide your SSID ... Can NDS connect to the access point?

 

[lawliet]

If you hide your SSID ... Can NDS connect to the access point?

Yes. If you have the right SSID set.

Well, I never said WEP was good for any foolproof protection. I just felt it was enough protection... for a small household. And yea, I was kinda disappointed when I found out the DS could only support WEP.

 

[Rayder]

Just turn on MAC filtering, WEP, and hide your SSID, that should get rid of 99% of hackers who would rather go for an unencrypted access point than bother with yours. If you have many unencrypted access points around you, they'll cover for your network.

This is pretty much my method. We've never been hacked or anything that I've ever seen. But this method also screws homebrew WiFi from working. Need to have SSID reporting enabled for that.....and I refuse to make it THAT easy for freeloaders. By default, we are limited to how many people could possibly access it around me anyway.....Interstate 71 is only about 100 feet away from my back window, so that cuts out about 2/3 of what most people would have to deal with as far as other people accessing. And I KNOW that most of the other people in my neighborhood are PC illiterate, at least the ones within the range of my WiFi, so I'm not worried.

 

[doubledash]

My sister says her laptop wont be able to connect to the router if the ssid is hidden or something like that...

?

 

[lawliet]

My sister says her laptop wont be able to connect to the router if the ssid is hidden or something like that...

?

You will need to set something on the laptop that says "Connect even if network is not broadcasting" or something to that effect. Try under Network Connections.

 

[HBK]

My sister says her laptop wont be able to connect to the router if the ssid is hidden or something like that...

?

You will need to set something on the laptop that says "Connect even if network is not broadcasting" or something to that effect. Try under Network Connections.

That's not good, because if you go to a wireless hotspot, and your home AP is called Linksys, every Linksys router in the area with the same SSID will become a target for the laptop to connect to at the hotspot, therefore compromising your security, because not only can hackers watch your tracks, but you think you're connected to a secure (but unprotected) network, when in fact you are connected to a similar unprotected AP which hackers can gain access to.

 

[loathsome]

I just use WEP. If I ever see an unrecognized client connected (in the routers control panel), I just perm. ban it

Though, that has never happened so I feel safe enough.

 

[pristinemog]

I use WPA2, disable SSID broadcast and MAC filtering normally. Whenever I wanna play a DS game online, I just change it for the duration of my playtime then change it back. I don't know what's so hard about doing that.

 

[lawliet]

My sister says her laptop wont be able to connect to the router if the ssid is hidden or something like that...

?

You will need to set something on the laptop that says "Connect even if network is not broadcasting" or something to that effect. Try under Network Connections.

That's not good, because if you go to a wireless hotspot, and your home AP is called Linksys, every Linksys router in the area with the same SSID will become a target for the laptop to connect to at the hotspot, therefore compromising your security, because not only can hackers watch your tracks, but you think you're connected to a secure (but unprotected) network, when in fact you are connected to a similar unprotected AP which hackers can gain access to.

Well, you could perhaps set a more unique SSID. That's what you have to do if you want to connect to something that is not broadcasting.

 

[HBK]

My sister says her laptop wont be able to connect to the router if the ssid is hidden or something like that...

?

You will need to set something on the laptop that says "Connect even if network is not broadcasting" or something to that effect. Try under Network Connections.



That's not good, because if you go to a wireless hotspot, and your home AP is called Linksys, every Linksys router in the area with the same SSID will become a target for the laptop to connect to at the hotspot, therefore compromising your security, because not only can hackers watch your tracks, but you think you're connected to a secure (but unprotected) network, when in fact you are connected to a similar unprotected AP which hackers can gain access to.

Well, you could perhaps set a more unique SSID. That's what you have to do if you want to connect to something that is not broadcasting.

Yeah, but you'd be surprised at how many people don't bother configuring their router, so even if they have WEP/WPA enabled, you can gain access and just get into their router settings (admin/admin generally as Username/password, they don't bother to change it), disable the protection and "give free internet to all".

I use WEP (well, my router broke down, so I'll continue to use it when I get it back

), and never had problems with hackers. Then again, Portugal isn't exactly a country of war driving (especially where I live), and my router doesn't transmit a very strong signal either.

 

[laurenz]

You guys are waaaay to paranoid about this. Like if there's actually anyone going to hack you're router. There are probably plenty unencrypted signals waiting to be used. The only reason why someone would want to acces your router is just to check their email or search something on google, which doesn't harm you, right? And those people don't even know about WEP and WAP and other stupid encryptions, let alone that they know how to hack one.
So WEP is good enough to keep the majority of people trying to acces out.
Just relax and stop freaking out.

 

[NetixRiqua]

i think that is not true laurenz i use people's wifi router to download movies tv shows games updates mods patches plus you can crack em with a (some homebrew thingy.) which is able to crack pretty much every password wep wpa or else easily if it is not hidden and visible through WiFi radar(another homebrew thingy). i think its a safebet to not broadcast your ssid and put of a unique ssid for connection purposes. plus you can access to these tools pretty easy if you have an internet connection. (duuuh!

) thats all i guess -sorry for the bump guys but i needed to post this here.

1st edit: Blank message.
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4th Edit: Deleted the utilities' names.