MAC Filtering - Importance: 5

MAC filtering is a really nice security method that lets you control exactly which laptop or wireless device can access the network. Using it is surprisingly simple; just input the MAC address of each network adapter on your network into the list of allowed devices. The router will deny access to anything else.

{mosgoogle}The downside to MAC filtering is it makes it more difficult to allow new users to the network as you will have to add a new MAC address for each new device you want to allow on the network. To find the MAC address of your notebook type ipconfig /all. The Physical Address entry is your MAC address.

While MAC address is unique to each machine, they can be a target for spoof attacks. If a hacker knows the MAC address of a system, he can duplicate or spoof that on another machine to gain access. Because of this you should not rely on MAC filtering alone to protect your WLAN.

Disabling SSID Broadcast - Importance: 5

The SSID is the name of your wireless network. Out of the box, your router will have a name like Linksys or default, so as a first step you should change the SSID name to something else (but don't call it the FBI or The Whitehouse unless you want to attract hackers like bees to honey). SSID broadcasting means that your router lets any wireless client within range know that a router is available. Clients are then given the option to attempt to connect to the router. If the router is completely open, anyone will be able to log on and do whatever they want.

The first step for war drivers looking for wireless networks to hack into is to find them. By turning off SSID broadcasting, clients have to manually enter the network name in order to discover it. Disabling SSID broadcasting is a good example of security through obscurity; if they can't find you, they can't hack you.

As an addition to encryption and other security measures, disabling SSID broadcast is a good idea. Sure, you'll have to enter your network's name when adding new computers, but it's probably worth the extra effort. Besides, having a stealth WLAN is kinda cool.

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