Mailing List os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com Archived Message #311

From:	"Lewis G Rosenthal" <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com>	Full Headers Undecoded message
Subject:	Re: [OS2Wireless] [OS2Wireless]TPad T60 Connect to Linksys BEFW11S4 - Security Settings
Date:	Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:58:28 -0500
To:	OS/2 Wireless Users Mailing List <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com>

On 02/15/09 05:24 pm, Carl Gehr thus wrote : On Sun, 15 Feb 2009 13:29:28 -0700, Chuck McKinnis wrote: IMHO, I am more worried about security on the Internet than I am about security between my PC and the router. It's not a matter of security between the PC and the router. I may be wrong, but I don't believe these keys do any encryption at all. They are strictly 'access keys' allowing or prohibiting use of the router. No, they are encrypting data. What you describe, Carl, is authentication (provided for in the 802.11i spec, but not part of WEP or WPA). This bit of security is to keep someone else's PC from using the router. If an outsider is able to access the router: 1) They are able to access the Internet with the messages appearing to be coming from one of my PCs 2) Worse yet, they then have access to my PCs that are connected to the router either directly or indirectly. By capturing enough of your own traffic, they could probably accomplish this. A captive portal (authentication solution) would be a good defense. Hautspot uses technology from Sputnik (http://www.sputnik.com) to provide for captive portal authentication. There are others which are free (Chillispot and NoCatAuth - the latter, in fact, forms the basis for Hautspot's stuff). Of course, you need AP firmware which can support this (a LinkSys WRT54G flashed with DD-WRT firmware will do). You would then access a secure webpage (in the router, if not using a server-hosted solution, such as Hautspot or Sputnik), authenticate, and then access to the network beyond would be allowed. Disclaimer: Hautspot, LLC is a Sputnik business partner and Rosenthal & Rosenthal, LLC is a stockholder in Sputnik, Inc. ;-) -- Lewis ------------------------------------------------------------- Lewis G Rosenthal, CNA, CLP, CLE Rosenthal & Rosenthal, LLC www.2rosenthals.com Need a managed Wi-Fi hotspot? www.hautspot.com Treasurer, Warpstock Corporation www.warpstock.org -------------------------------------------------------------

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