Things You Learn The Hard Way
(Warning, this is a geeky computer-related post. But I have had a number of emails about my travails with computers, so I thought there would be a few people interested. I've put the bulk of the post in a "read more" link.)
First, let me say right off that I was lucky and caught this in time. But all my computer woes of the past week or two led to the discovery of a problem that could have been serious. Like I said, I was lucky.
The Crabitat uses a wireless home network (my main boxes are the only ones hardwired into the router). I was using an older D-Link 802.11g router quite successfully for about two years but suddenly started having problems with it. I figured that it had simply lost its will to live and replaced it with a new Linksys router with better range. That one was easy to set up and I simply used the same WEP encryption I had used on the old setup.
Then after a week or so, the new router started having odd problems that resembled the problems the other router had experienced. This would be when I remembered that my neighbor had once told me he enjoyed driving around with his laptop to see if he could get onto unsecured wireless networks (one reason I had used WEP (Wireless Equivalency Protocol) encryption). This driveby scanning I found out, is called "Wardriving". So I checked my router logs.
And found that two unnamed computers had been tied onto my router. Thus began my getting serious about wireless security.
I redid the entire network setup using WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) encryption, which necessitated replacing one wireless adapter that did not support the stronger WPA system. (This Tech Tip from Geeks.com is a good starting point) I then enabled MAC (Media Access Control) access on the router which allows only those devices that I have added to the router's MAC table to access the system at all. (Another Tech Tip on doing that is here.) Then I shut off the SSID broadcast as recommended in the first Tech Tip I linked.
The system has performed perfectly so far. I've tested it with a laptop and the network does not show up as available at all. So at least it will be more of a challenge for people who drive by looking for networks. But from where I am writing this post right now, the computer can "see" an unsecured network in range. I could connect to it at will if I was so inclined (I'm not). But if you are using a wireless router and do not have your security set up for it, do so at once. It really could be a bad thing for you if you aren't as lucky as I was. </geekiness>
Geek Stuff | Gaius Thursday, 8 March , 2007
By Quilly Mammoth, Thursday, 8 March , 2007 @ 11:51 am
Another geek item. I received a note form one of my publishers to convert all of my projects into RTF. This is because they have switched to Word 2007 and it is apparently not backward compatible with any version of word older than 2000.
Specifically it excludes:
• Microsoft Word for Windows 1.x
• Microsoft Word for Windows 2.x
• Microsoft Word for the Macintosh 4.x
• Microsoft Word for the Macintosh 5.x
Unlike other versions of WORD MS did not include a converter program. OTOH the “.dotx” format is not readable by anything other than WORD 2007, afaik.
Great, huh? Another reason to go with Open Office.
By BubbaB, Thursday, 8 March , 2007 @ 12:33 pm
So, even though you were using WEP, you still had wardrivers connecting to your network?
I don’t use a wireless network, but we will be looking into buying a new computer soon. I want to take my old machine and put Linux on it, and let my wife leave MS on the new machine.
So many problems to deal with!! ARRGHH!!
By Sylvia, Thursday, 8 March , 2007 @ 12:41 pm
They say that you can walk around downtown San Francisco and always be within range of an open Linksys connection.
By Gaius, Thursday, 8 March , 2007 @ 12:53 pm
WEP is relatively easy to crack as I understand it. WPA, not so much - at least so far.
As for Microsoft, I am running out of patience with them. Hence the Linux box trial - it runs rock solid, by the way. Absolutely no problems at all so far with operating. The operator is still struggling a bit learning how to actually use some aspects of Linux…..
By Brett, Thursday, 8 March , 2007 @ 4:01 pm
Fix almost ALL of your Microsoft problems by going to a Mac. Of course, that alone won’t fix the WiFi issue, but gets rid of way over 90& of malicious software. And, if you insist, you can run MS on the new INTEL Macs.