Is wireless broadband a security risk?

Hi,
I am thinking of subscribing to the local wireless broadband service. What
worries me is a) can people intercept my traffic and b) can they gain access
to my computer?
Thanks
Simon

"Mickle" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:c0qpl4$v6g$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi,
> I am thinking of subscribing to the local wireless broadband service.
What
> worries me is a) can people intercept my traffic and b) can they gain
access
> to my computer?
> Thanks
> Simon
>
It depends on the security measures that you and the provider implement.
People can intercept your traffic if it is not adequately encrypted.
However, gaining access to your computer would not be easy. If you don't use
any encryption, it is more possible to break in.

Mickle wrote:
> Hi,
> I am thinking of subscribing to the local wireless broadband service.
> What worries me is a) can people intercept my traffic and b) can they
> gain access to my computer?
> Thanks
> Simon

If your transmissions are important to you, then you really don't want to
use wireless. You can protect, encrypt, band-switch and a host of other
options, but in the end you are putting your signal out into the world for
anyone to sniff. Most of the time, no one will care. But not all of the
time.

Read the first sentence again...

A) YES, people can intercept your traffic - whatever you do, its in the air.
Its whether they can make use of it or not that matters.
A, a) Do you think there are people wanting to intercept your traffic ??

B) if you secure your computer, they should not be able to access it - this
goes for wired or wireless access... WIRELESS is the transport medium, and
has nothing to do with the security or accessibility of your computer.

The fact of the matter is, its not much safer on a wired network, and in
fact, may be less safe on wired..

Many of the broadband providers, as i think everyone knows, dont do a very
good job of security and network config, meaning, you have access to the
traffic AT MINIMUM from everyone in your 'neighbourhood'.

At least with wireless there is an inherent 'fear factor' of intercepting,
so there is more likely going to be at least SOME security (encryption)
going on.


"TV Slug" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:%K6Yb.15680$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Mickle wrote:
> > Hi,
> > I am thinking of subscribing to the local wireless broadband service.
> > What worries me is a) can people intercept my traffic and b) can they
> > gain access to my computer?
> > Thanks
> > Simon
>
> If your transmissions are important to you, then you really don't want to
> use wireless. You can protect, encrypt, band-switch and a host of other
> options, but in the end you are putting your signal out into the world for
> anyone to sniff. Most of the time, no one will care. But not all of the
> time.
>
> Read the first sentence again...
>
>

"Mickle" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:<c0qpl4$v6g$(E-Mail Removed)>...
> Hi,
> I am thinking of subscribing to the local wireless broadband service. What
> worries me is a) can people intercept my traffic and b) can they gain access
> to my computer?
> Thanks
> Simon

Hi Simon;
Sure people can intercept your traffic. The sad news is that they can
also do that if you are on wire. The hardware is more expensive...
but they can still do it... SO... You have to ask yourself if you
have enemies sophisticated enough to intercept your wireless, who
would actually do that... If you do then you need to ask yourself if
you have enemies sophisticated enough to intercept your wired lan...
if you do... DUDE... YOU ARE IN TROUBLE AND YOU MIGHT AS WELL NOT USE
A COMPUTER BECAUSE THE REALLY GOOD ONES CAN READ THE CONTENTS OF YOUR
MONITOR AT HALF A MILE....

Sure... if you've got a wireless signal going, someone's going to try to
break in eventually. Doesn't matter where you are.

I live in a very small quite "backward" town and even here once every 2
months or so a car will pull up next to my bedroom window where nobody ever
parks. I know it's always wardrivers "sniffing" out my signal. When I find
out they're there, I shut the router completely down. Within a minute or two
they're gone.

Once I had some wardrivers come to my door late at night wanting me to grant
them access due to an "emergency" situation... now that's nerve.

"Coz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:AM8Yb.530225$X%5.82150@pd7tw2no...

> A, a) Do you think there are people wanting to intercept your traffic ??