The security of WiFi networks

This article is easy to read because I did not include technical jargons and terminology just for the readers in the sector. Deliberately is a simple and smooth interpretation of useful advice provided to the less experienced, perhaps even boring for those who possess a deeper knowledge of the topic.

The topic is one of the most complex and articulated. I hope that this my first network security article (WiFi) can sufficiently warn my readers not to overlook important aspects on how to protect their privacy, so fragile in a world where information runs through the ether at a speed of light.

Before the advent of computers, the most frequently used way to write down personal information was the "Diary." Everyone has had one and on it were marked all kinds of information, from the most intimate thoughts to the most important dates, from the phone book to the bank accounts (cash, credit cards, checking accounts, deposits, savings accounts, etc.) or simply pictures. Today all this is contained in a few inches of silicon metal and plastic (second most abundant element in the earth's crust after oxygen.)

A technological jewel, the pride of our evolution, with unlimited capabilities ranging from professional to household use. With this indispensable tool available to almost all the people in the civilized and the industrial world, it is possible to store all the personal and work information (often the subject of interest in industrial espionage or identity theft). We can also communicate with people on the other end the world, using virtual paths in a logical world as real as ours, called the Internet, another important invention of mankind, since 1969 (the beginning of the ARPANET), to date there has seen an exponential growth in the number of hosts connected to the network (from a few hundred to over 1.05 billion in 2015 (source https://www.statista.com/statistics/264473/number-of-internet-hosts-in-the-domain-name-system/). With such figures and an exponential growth like that, it is predictable to think that there is some users that for curiosity or vandalism, try every day to connect illegally to corporate or private networks to steal information and/or cause damage.

At the same time, it is true to say that, there would be not cures if there were no diseases. And, this is the case of computer viruses, which as in biology, have the purpose to infect and spread. Threats to which we try to put a remedy sometimes economic, sometimes very expensive, but never 100% effective. 

So what to do to counter this? How to protect your data? How to protect our children from not monitored internet surfing?

The first of all the answers it is to know evil in all of its forms, because it is only by a careful analysis of the problem that you can profile congenial solutions and affordable for everyone. It would be natural enough to wonder what could be on our personal computer so important to be able to attract the attention of strangers? The answer is all or nothing! A computer hacker could pierce our protection only to prove to himself or to friends he/she succeeded and, do no harm, but rather leave a message to the security administrator (on a corporate network) indicating the flaw in safety.

But not everyone sees it the same way, and not everyone respects the ethics, so in less than no time we find ourselves sharing our information, even the most reserved with strangers, or allow the attacker to make our network the nursery of their offenses. Now suppose I want to do a criminal act, I would not certainly do it home with my PC and especially with my network, it is associated with a contract with a carrier and for which I can be traced in a few moments. I would do it from the car with a laptop or tablet, powered by a plug connected to the cigarette lighter, in front of the house of the first unwary that did not protect sufficiently well his own WiFi network, maybe during a time of day when I could not arouse suspicion. I might steal bank details and credit card numbers to make online transactions right on the spot. The first rule is, therefore, to protect your wireless network by using difficult to guess passwords by following a few tips: Use special characters (_ @ # * &% §) by entering numbers and maybe switching between upper case with lower case, do not use predictable words or related to your personal sphere, such as names or dates of birth of children and/or wife, car number plates, names or last names of relatives, etc.

The length is at your discretion, provided that at least 8 characters, always using the WPA2 encryption protocol (WI- FI Protected Access 802.11i) with AES (the cryptographic algorithm is more secure than the previous RC4), thus avoiding the old WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy Policy, equivalent to the wired network) hackable in minutes with various tools available on the internet. Disable DHCP on your router in this way an intruder does not automatically receive an IP address for your network adapter.

Filter MAC (Media Access Control), a kind license plate of the network cards. Change often the access password to the router control panel, the wi-fi, and your PC, with an average of 6.3 months.

Install antivirus and firewall, and update them often. There are several types of products, with different characteristics, and for all budgets, both with annual subscriptions and free.

Some of the above precautions may be more or less bypassed by social engineering, and other tricks are therefore recommended to read up on each appropriately, making use of the advice and help from a professional.

Moreover, we can install in our home the most robust security door on the world, and an advanced anti-theft system with laser sensors, but everything would be useless if you forget the keys inserted into the lock, remember that often the fragility of our network comes from inside. Do not open attachments from unknown senders, install only reliable programs and certificates, do not download illegally shared files and programs, serial generators, music and all copyrighted material.

If the PC is left unattended always remember to lock or log off the user, clean temporary files and cookies and browsing history, so that a stranger cannot easily learn and connect to our online bank, avoid leaving important information, passwords, account numbers and PIN of ATM and credit cards, make backups often, perhaps on external hard drives, so you do not run the risk of losing your data in case of operating system failures or even worse hardware failure.