Maximizing wireless security

Maximizing wireless security
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Subject Author Date
Maximizing wireless security Dan 01-26-2008
Posted by Dan on January 26, 2008, 1:39 pm
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I have a Netgear WGR614 v6 wireless router which I have recently begun to
use wirelessly for my wife's work laptop. There is also a desktop connected
to the router via cat 6. Both machines are running XP SP2 with all updates.
I have the router set as follows & want to be sure I'm doing all I can to
maximize security on the network:

- File sharing is OFF on both PC's
- Router setup password has been changed to 14 random characters
- Router updated with most recent firmware
- SSID set to 13 random characters
- SSID broadcast is OFF
- WPA-PSK activated w/10 random character passphrase (tried a longer
passphrase, but Windows Networking seemed to have trouble with it, kept
defaulting to a shorter phrase). Key lifetime is the default 60 minutes.
- Access control is ON with the MAC addresses for the 2 PC's being the only
ones entered.

We live in a fairly remote suburban area, so I don't think the threat of
"wardriving" is what it might be in a more populated area, but I still want
to be sure I'm doing all I can in terms of security.

TIA

Dan



Posted by msg on January 26, 2008, 2:34 pm
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Dan wrote:

> I have a Netgear WGR614 v6 wireless router which I have recently begun to
> use wirelessly for my wife's work laptop. There is also a desktop connected
> to the router via cat 6. Both machines are running XP SP2 with all updates.
> I have the router set as follows & want to be sure I'm doing all I can to
> maximize security on the network:
>

Just my preferences: run the network open but with MAC address access
controls and install IPSec VPN software with strong encryption on
your hosts (you can run a port of OpenBSD's ISAKMPD under cygwin
on the desktop if you don't have a border router, and the laptops can
run the free SSH_Sentinel Ver. 1.3.2.2). Even with WPA/WPA2 it is
often better to handle the encryption on your hosts rather than to
expect the appliance AP/router product to do it well.

Regards,

Michael

Posted by on January 26, 2008, 3:19 pm
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> controls and install IPSec VPN software with strong encryption on

Where is the other end of the VPN? He doesn't have file sharing turned on
for either PC.

--
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley Lake, CA, USA GPS: 38.8,-122.5

Posted by msg on January 26, 2008, 3:47 pm
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dold@96.usenet.us.com wrote:

>
>>controls and install IPSec VPN software with strong encryption on
>
>
> Where is the other end of the VPN? He doesn't have file sharing turned on
> for either PC.
>

If high security is a top priority, I was suggesting that he establish
the desktop as a VPN endpoint. This would also entail a separate segment
for the wireless VPN (separate NIC or perhaps using the USB connection
to the AP/router). I assume the desktop O/S is XP-Pro; my experience
doing this is with Win2k. Filters to pass only AH and ESP and ICMP
would be needed on the wireless i/f. Doing this on a Windows O/S
under cygwin and with ported unix code is possible, but I would
really recommend adding and obsd box as a border router and running
ISAKMPD for the wireless segment. This is just my personal approach.
I assume there are native MS solutions for this as well, (L2TP and
less secure methods?). I am replying as a reader of alt.internet.wireless
and my suggestions come from experience building similar small VPNs
as described. All of this presumes that the O.P. has really serious
security concerns.

Michael

Posted by S. Pidgorny on January 30, 2008, 4:21 am
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Another box to secure traffic over a cable in the house? Brilliant!

--
Svyatoslav Pidgorny, MS MVP - Security, MCSE
-= F1 is the key =-

* http://sl.mvps.org * http://msmvps.com/blogs/sp *

> dold@96.usenet.us.com wrote:
>
>>
>>>controls and install IPSec VPN software with strong encryption on
>>
>>
>> Where is the other end of the VPN? He doesn't have file sharing turned
>> on
>> for either PC.
>>
>
> If high security is a top priority, I was suggesting that he establish
> the desktop as a VPN endpoint. This would also entail a separate segment
> for the wireless VPN (separate NIC or perhaps using the USB connection
> to the AP/router). I assume the desktop O/S is XP-Pro; my experience
> doing this is with Win2k. Filters to pass only AH and ESP and ICMP
> would be needed on the wireless i/f. Doing this on a Windows O/S
> under cygwin and with ported unix code is possible, but I would
> really recommend adding and obsd box as a border router and running
> ISAKMPD for the wireless segment. This is just my personal approach.
> I assume there are native MS solutions for this as well, (L2TP and
> less secure methods?). I am replying as a reader of alt.internet.wireless
> and my suggestions come from experience building similar small VPNs
> as described. All of this presumes that the O.P. has really serious
> security concerns.
>
> Michael



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