security vulnerability?

Hello,

I have an IBM Thinkpad T30 (2 yrs old), with an Intel High-Rate
Wireless LAN Mini-PCI Adapter. Until now, I've been using a direct
internet connection or dial-up, but now have just bought a Linksys
WRT54G router. I hooked up and configured the router today, and have
an odd situation:

After starting up the T30 from "sleep mode", the online connection
indicator in my system tray (and in the Network Connections folder)
will report that I don't have a connection. But at the same time, the
*Intel* indicator in my system tray will almost immediately light up,
and I am a connected to the web. (This is the indicator that also
offers a choice of "radio on / radio off" etc.) Occasionally it will
take multiple tries and several minutes, though, before the first
indicator in my Network Connections folder reports that a connection
has been established - and properly firewalled.

My question: do I have two separate connections running at once, and
if so, is the Intel indicator / connection apt to be vulnerable in
terms of attack or accidental use of the connection by the neighbors?

Many thanks for any advice!

sally

Sally P. wrote:

>Hello,
>
>I have an IBM Thinkpad T30 (2 yrs old), with an Intel High-Rate
>Wireless LAN Mini-PCI Adapter. Until now, I've been using a direct
>internet connection or dial-up, but now have just bought a Linksys
>WRT54G router. I hooked up and configured the router today, and have
>an odd situation:
>
>After starting up the T30 from "sleep mode", the online connection
>indicator in my system tray (and in the Network Connections folder)
>will report that I don't have a connection. But at the same time, the
>*Intel* indicator in my system tray will almost immediately light up,
>and I am a connected to the web. (This is the indicator that also
>offers a choice of "radio on / radio off" etc.) Occasionally it will
>take multiple tries and several minutes, though, before the first
>indicator in my Network Connections folder reports that a connection
>has been established - and properly firewalled.
>
>My question: do I have two separate connections running at once, and
>if so, is the Intel indicator / connection apt to be vulnerable in
>terms of attack or accidental use of the connection by the neighbors?
>
>Many thanks for any advice!
>
>sally
>
>
I don't have your particular system, so can't speak specifically, but I
doubt it.

Generally, you will obtain a 'connection' before you actually are
connected to the Internet. That is, 'connection' can just mean connected
to the wireless device, whereas connection to the Internet implies
negotiation of whatever encryption protocols are in effect (if any),
setting the computer's IP address, setting the default gateway, and
reveiving the addresses of one or more DNS servers.

(E-Mail Removed) (Sally P.) wrote in news:1434844e.0409181716.5ea3ff28
@posting.google.com:

<snip>
> My question: do I have two separate connections running at once, and
> if so, is the Intel indicator / connection apt to be vulnerable in
> terms of attack or accidental use of the connection by the neighbors?
>
> Many thanks for any advice!

I don't think this is anything to get too excited about. Using 802.11b on
my WinXP Pro laptop, when having only SP1 installed, when bringing it out
of standby, the tray icon always indicated it was not Internet connected,
but it was - I think it is just the display that was not being updated.
BTW, now that I have SP2 installed, it shows the connection being there
when I bring the same machine out of standby. Actually, this is related to
the only negative I see with SP2 installed - it is more difficult to change
from wireless to wired connection (often requiring a reboot rather than
just logging out and back in), and vice versa.

--
Tom McCune
My PGP Page & FAQ: http://www.McCune.cc/PGP.htm