Monday, March 31, 2008

Secure Your Network

Drive-by WiFi?
Trina L.C. Sonnenberg


If something is worth having, it is likely to be worth stealing, and WiFi is no exception. Drive-by WiFi is when a person drives around until they find an unsecured Internet connection, parks, pulls out their laptop, and uses that network connection to access the Internet. It may seem harmless, but it is illegal. You paid for that bandwidth, and no one else should use it without your permission. You paid for your car, and if a person drives off in it, without your permission, it is called Grand Theft Auto. Recently, I came across someone from the Norwood (Colorado) area, who pointed out to me all of his favorite places to steal WiFi, and how it is very difficult to do in Telluride because the business owners there have caught on to it happening and have secured their networks against it.

Internet cafes have become wise to this practice too, and have begun securing their connections; requiring that patrons get a username and password to use it. Hotels and other public places are doing the same. Why? Their WiFi is a courtesy for their customers; not for use by others.

If you have a home WiFi connection and network for your computers, be aware of those who would steal it. If they can tap into your Internet connection, they can also tap into your hard drive, and gain access to all of the personal information stored there. Someone no longer has to go dumpster diving to get your information, they can just park outside your house, tap into your network, and steal not only your WiFi, but your identity as well.

If you suspect that someone is tapping into your WiFi, call the police. Theft is theft, is theft.

If you notice someone, especially if they’re unknown to you, sitting in a vehicle outside your home, for an extended period of time, and they are staring at their steering wheel, or passenger’s seat, chances are they’re stealing your connection.

Of course, the best medicine is to be proactive about this, and secure your network. Check your router’s owner’s manual for instructions on how to secure your connection through it. Furthermore, don’t store financial information on your machine. Go ahead and keep your checkbook in there, but don’t attach your account number to it.

When using the Internet to make purchases, clear your cache and do privacy sweep when you are done. Keep your information secure, because it doesn’t just happen to someone else. It can happen to you too.

Copyright © 2008
The Trii-Zine Ezine
www.ezines1.com

About the Author:
Trina L.C. Sonnenberg
Publisher - The Trii-Zine Ezine - Your Trusted Source for Internet Business and Marketing Information. Serving online professionals since 2001. ISSN# 1555-2276
http://www.ezines1.com/triizine
http://www.ads-on-q.com/intro
Author of: My Journey A Lifetime of Verse http://stores.lulu.com/triizine
Internet Marketing Mavens
http://internetmarketing-mavens.com

Keywords: wifi, wireless connection, identity theft, network


No comments: