Wireless is great and has changed the way we use the internet forever. There was once a time where we were confined to our desks and sitting out in the sun while browsing the web was just a pipe dream.
Nowadays this is a reality and many of use at home are using wireless to get access to our internet. Whilst wireless does offer a huge convenience and flexibility it also comes with a downside. Since the nature of wireless communication is based on the principal that data is travelling freely across airwaves it makes it susceptible to being compromised.
Many of us are fully aware of this and there are many options for securing our networks nowadays that we need not worry about eavesdropping. Sadly though there are still plenty of wireless users out there who are totally uneducated on wireless security and choose to leave their networks wide open. The implications of this can often be disastrous.
With an open wireless network, anybody in range can freely connect and use your internet connection to do what they want. You can probably already see the first major problem. Your internet connection is at the mercy of anybody who wants to use it, and this includes the use of it for illegal or immoral activity. Legal implications can and have happened in the past where open wireless networks were used for illegal activities that results in the owner of internet connection to be prosecuted.
Not only that but your personal data is at great risk if you choose to leave your wireless network insecure. There are many ways for your data to be intercepted as it travels between you and your wireless router. This information can include the web pages you are visiting, your email addresses, usernames, password and potentially all the files that reside on your laptop.
This alone should be enough reason for you to want to secure your wireless network. You should always opt for a good security algorithm such as WPA or WPA2, with a strong enough passphrase your wireless network will be secure enough to prevent any unauthorised use and to keep your data safe!
If you want to see some real life examples of how your data can be compromised on an unsecure wireless network then check out my article on the dangers of unsecured wireless networks. by Cyrus Jackson
Nowadays this is a reality and many of use at home are using wireless to get access to our internet. Whilst wireless does offer a huge convenience and flexibility it also comes with a downside. Since the nature of wireless communication is based on the principal that data is travelling freely across airwaves it makes it susceptible to being compromised.
Many of us are fully aware of this and there are many options for securing our networks nowadays that we need not worry about eavesdropping. Sadly though there are still plenty of wireless users out there who are totally uneducated on wireless security and choose to leave their networks wide open. The implications of this can often be disastrous.
With an open wireless network, anybody in range can freely connect and use your internet connection to do what they want. You can probably already see the first major problem. Your internet connection is at the mercy of anybody who wants to use it, and this includes the use of it for illegal or immoral activity. Legal implications can and have happened in the past where open wireless networks were used for illegal activities that results in the owner of internet connection to be prosecuted.
Not only that but your personal data is at great risk if you choose to leave your wireless network insecure. There are many ways for your data to be intercepted as it travels between you and your wireless router. This information can include the web pages you are visiting, your email addresses, usernames, password and potentially all the files that reside on your laptop.
This alone should be enough reason for you to want to secure your wireless network. You should always opt for a good security algorithm such as WPA or WPA2, with a strong enough passphrase your wireless network will be secure enough to prevent any unauthorised use and to keep your data safe!
If you want to see some real life examples of how your data can be compromised on an unsecure wireless network then check out my article on the dangers of unsecured wireless networks. by Cyrus Jackson
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