Security-necessary concern?

Maybe I need education. A lot of you seem paranoid about WPA and WEP
and whatever.We have a not unusual layout - upstairs desktop/router
and downstairs laptop. Other than someone taking over my machine,
presumably by accident or wild spam, to bring down Microsoft or
whomever, what's my worrry? I'm not exactly high profile, tho some of
you might hack my birthday or mother's maiden name. I have nothing on
the machines of value to anyone else i.

I'm much more interested in whether I can retain my connection when
one, sometimes two, other AP's are received (I love Netstumbler). Can
you block (I think so) other SSID/MAC?

Brad

On Sat, 04 Mar 2006 02:07:06 -0500, in alt.internet.wireless ,
avalanche* <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Maybe I need education. A lot of you seem paranoid about WPA and WEP
>and whatever.We have a not unusual layout - upstairs desktop/router
>and downstairs laptop. Other than someone taking over my machine,
>presumably by accident or wild spam, to bring down Microsoft or
>whomever, what's my worrry?

Its unlikely, but someone (eg a neighbour's teenager, a driveby
pornographer or fraudster) might hijack your connection to do
something illegal. Or install a keylogger and monitor your activity.

>I'm not exactly high profile, tho some of
>you might hack my birthday or mother's maiden name. I have nothing on
>the machines of value to anyone else i.

Do you do internet banking? Or buy stuff online via credit card?

>I'm much more interested in whether I can retain my connection when
>one, sometimes two, other AP's are received (I love Netstumbler). Can
>you block (I think so) other SSID/MAC?

If you're using Windows XP builtin wireless support, look for
Preferred Networks and remove the ones you don't want.
Mark McIntyre
--

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On Sat, 04 Mar 2006 02:07:06 -0500, avalanche* <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Maybe I need education. A lot of you seem paranoid about WPA and WEP
>and whatever.We have a not unusual layout - upstairs desktop/router
>and downstairs laptop. Other than someone taking over my machine,
>presumably by accident or wild spam, to bring down Microsoft or
>whomever, what's my worrry? I'm not exactly high profile, tho some of
>you might hack my birthday or mother's maiden name. I have nothing on
>the machines of value to anyone else i.
>
>I'm much more interested in whether I can retain my connection when
>one, sometimes two, other AP's are received (I love Netstumbler). Can
>you block (I think so) other SSID/MAC?
>
>Brad

1. Somebody could more easily pretend to be you (by ip addr) and do bad things.
2. You'll lose bandwidth when somebody else is using your internet connection.

avalanche* wrote:

> Maybe I need education. A lot of you seem paranoid about WPA and WEP
> and whatever.We have a not unusual layout - upstairs desktop/router
> and downstairs laptop. Other than someone taking over my machine,
> presumably by accident or wild spam, to bring down Microsoft or
> whomever, what's my worrry? I'm not exactly high profile, tho some of
> you might hack my birthday or mother's maiden name. I have nothing on
> the machines of value to anyone else i.
>
> I'm much more interested in whether I can retain my connection when
> one, sometimes two, other AP's are received (I love Netstumbler). Can
> you block (I think so) other SSID/MAC?
>
> Brad
>
Hi,
Do you leave the door open all the time at your house?
I wonder.
Tony

> Do you do internet banking? Or buy stuff online via credit card?

Which should be protected by SSL...

[POSTED TO alt.internet.wireless - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <(E-Mail Removed) m> on Sat, 04 Mar 2006
18:18:02 GMT, David Taylor <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>> Do you do internet banking? Or buy stuff online via credit card?
>
>Which should be protected by SSL...

POP3 password in the clear. Same password used for online banking.

--
Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR ALT.INTERNET.WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/FAQ_for_alt.internet.wireless>

On Sat, 04 Mar 2006 18:32:56 GMT, John Navas
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>[POSTED TO alt.internet.wireless - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]
>
>In <(E-Mail Removed) m> on Sat, 04 Mar 2006
>18:18:02 GMT, David Taylor <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>> Do you do internet banking? Or buy stuff online via credit card?
>>
>>Which should be protected by SSL...
>
>POP3 password in the clear. Same password used for online banking.

What does this mean, please?

> >Which should be protected by SSL...
>
> POP3 password in the clear. Same password used for online banking.

That's an assumption.

> POP3 password in the clear. Same password used for online banking.

Besides, online banking in the UK doesn't take just a password.

It typically requires a secret, entry of several digits, selected via
drop down characters and of course an account number or reference of
some sort, all of which are SSL protected.

If your online banking over there just requires a password then that
sucks bigtime.

David.

On Sat, 04 Mar 2006 14:52:18 -0500, in alt.internet.wireless ,
avalanche* <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>On Sat, 04 Mar 2006 18:32:56 GMT, John Navas
><(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>>Which should be protected by SSL...
>>
>>POP3 password in the clear. Same password used for online banking.
>
>What does this mean, please?

He means that if you were dim enough to use the same p/w for both your
mail and banking accts, then someone snooping your mail p/w could
login to your bank account, even tho the latter is an encrypted
connection.


Mark McIntyre
--

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