Gaming Silly question about wireless network connection

[Harsky]

With my PC, I set it up my wireless router to share files to my laptop from my shared folder but it only just occured to me, can anyone with a laptop within range just access the shared folder or is it impossible since they need to join the WEP protected wireless connection BEFORE they can get to the shared folder?

 

[Rayder]

They would need to join your workgroup and bypass/hack your encryption/MAC filtering (whatever protections you have set up anyway) in your router to do so. You should be fine unless you have lots of determined hackers around you.

 

[Diablo1123]

WEP is easy to crack if I rememeber correctly though

 

[Harsky]

There I was thinking that anyone with a laptop and within range can just just dive into my shared folder. So they can't access it without actually joining my wireless connection and entering the long security key in the first place?

 

[da_head]

There I was thinking that anyone with a laptop and within range can just just dive into my shared folder. So they can't access it without actually joining my wireless connection and entering the long security key in the first place?

yes that is correct. but as mentioned above wep is kinda easy to crack. i suggest using wpa 2 at least

 

[Diablo1123]

Or maybe a MAC Filter.

 

[Scorpei]

Or maybe a MAC Filter.

Which can be spoofed relativly easily too. A combination of both is quite secure though. Naturally if you have a hacker around you that really wants to look in your shared docks he'll do it regardless of your protection. The question of course being are you so interesting to hack

. Anyway though upgrade from WEP to WPA at least and turn on mac filtering and you'll most likely be fine

. Especially if you also have a firewall set up on your machine (which only allows IPs you\ve selected).

 

[MicShadow]

The best wireless security is often the inbuilt extras in routers, such as MAC filters, comp name filters (rare) and other features. And also, monitoring and stuff is good.

Because every flavour of wireless security can and will be hacked. As long as you live with computer noobs in your streetm should be fine lol

 

[UltraMagnus]

if you are that concerned, I would say WPA2 with AES using PEAP authentication is a minimum

 

[Maz7006]

Also try enabling hidden wireless LAN on your router, and people will then have to enter an the SSID in order to get in, i.e. harder for them to get it.

 

[UltraMagnus]

Also try enabling hidden wireless LAN on your router, and people will then have to enter an the SSID in order to get in, i.e. harder for them to get it.

or, just use anyone one of the hundreds of programs that can pick up non SSID broadcast networks