Packet Sniffer Security

I've got a small home network with mixed Ethernet and WiFi.

Having recently downloaded a packetsniffer and seen asterisk passwords (POP
Mail) transmitted as plain text I am wondering how secure network
transmissions really are.

Currently on my WiFi I've got no encryption but have got MAC access, my
immediate neighbour has trouble finding the ON switch of his computer and in
my own house I lose a signal in certain rooms. Going by this I would assume
my WiFi is reasonably safe from unauthorised access.

To the best of my knowledge secure web sites get encrypted prior to being
transmitted from my machine so these will not show up the password.

I know one should not get paranoid but are there any other safeguards I
should take as I do use internet banking.

Geoff Lane

In article <410387f1$0$6447$(E-Mail Removed)>,
Geoff Lane wrote:
> Currently on my WiFi I've got no encryption but have got MAC access, my
> immediate neighbour has trouble finding the ON switch of his computer and in
> my own house I lose a signal in certain rooms. Going by this I would assume
> my WiFi is reasonably safe from unauthorised access.

I wouldn't assume that. Why not turn the encryption on - is it not
worth it for peace of mind?

> To the best of my knowledge secure web sites get encrypted prior to being
> transmitted from my machine so these will not show up the password.

Not necessarily. HTTPS allows for encryption, but does not force it to
be implemented. Always check the cypher being used before sending
sensitive information. Some browsers allow you to set a minimum
encryption level for HTTPS - this is a very worthwhile feature to use.

> I know one should not get paranoid but are there any other safeguards I
> should take as I do use internet banking.

Paranoia is perfectly healthy in this area. You should always check the
certificates of any HTTPS sites with which you exchange sensitive
information. If your email may contain such, do not use POP without SSL.
Similarly don't use a PLAIN or LOGIN method with SASL when sending.
Always encrypt your sensitive emails before sending. Go through the
security options on your browser and be sure to activate every
precautionary measure available. If this makes your normal browsing too
painful, then run two different browsers.

And don't use MSIE.

There are certain aspects of security which do not impact on
convenience, but there is a trade-off here. Due to the inherently open
nature of most network traffic, you need to go the extra mile to
preserve the security of the more important information.

Pete
--
http://www.ethernetcables.co.uk/

"Pete Houston" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
[snip]
> Paranoia is perfectly healthy in this area. You should always check the
> certificates of any HTTPS sites with which you exchange sensitive
> information. If your email may contain such, do not use POP without SSL.
> Similarly don't use a PLAIN or LOGIN method with SASL when sending.
> Always encrypt your sensitive emails before sending. [...]

End-to-end encryption (encrypt before sending, decrypt at final destination)
is the /only/ solution for sensitive emails.

Alex

"Pete Houston" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...

> > Currently on my WiFi I've got no encryption but have got MAC access, my
> > immediate neighbour has trouble finding the ON switch of his computer
and in
> > my own house I lose a signal in certain rooms. Going by this I would
assume
> > my WiFi is reasonably safe from unauthorised access.
>
> I wouldn't assume that. Why not turn the encryption on - is it not
> worth it for peace of mind?

Main reason I haven't is my signal is not too good and I understood
encryption
slowed it even more, as mentioned, I felt that if the signal dies in my own
home then
someone elsewhere wouldn't be able to log in - may be wrong though.

> And don't use MSIE.

I use it on occasions but normally use Opera or Konqueror via Linux.

Geoff Lane