Privacy Digest

Wireless Network -- it's Time to Shore up Security: The FBI has recently learned that the basic protection against intruders -- Wireless Encryption Protocol, or WEP -- is increasingly vulnerable to accomplished hackers.

The tip came from one of the members of a longstanding InfraGard program, which brings together public and private sector security professionals to share breaking information on threats and vulnerabilities, particularly in the cyber world.

The member alerted the Birmingham, Alabama, office about computer hackers in Europe who have developed a method for cutting through the security provided by the WEP within a matter of seconds -- and who are ready to share that secret.

"We knew once that information got out -- and it most likely would -- these vulnerabilities were going to be exploited," said Paul Daymond, the media representative from the Birmingham office who helped coordinate a press conference on the issue recently. "So we wanted to get the world out quickly."

In layman's terms, WEP one way computers try to keep unauthorized users from tapping into your wireless network. A wireless network is more vulnerable to outside hackers than a closed one, which physically connects computers with cables.

WEP is generally the lowest level of security that comes with a new wireless network. Hackers have been improving their ability to get around the security settings in WEP for years. They know that most people don't even bother to set up password protection, and when they do, they simply use the default.

That can be a boon to "war drivers," people who drive around looking for unsecured wireless Internet access points to hijack. After they tap into the connection, they can do all sorts of things -- including illegally sending spam or pilfering your computer's data.

(Read Original Article - Via GT: Security and Privacy.)