Wireless is now widespread and an alternative to using a wired home or office network, but are you really secure? The answer is probably ‘no’, unless the network has been setup properly.

During a recent survey conducted by Digital Port, we found many ‘hotspots’ where we could ‘tap’ into unsecured networks – giving us endless possibilities to cause damage or havoc, this wasn’t limited to just home wireless networks but businesses as well. Security these days is vital, however an unsecured network is just asking for trouble.

Hotspots are places where a wireless signal is present and unsecured, hence by using a laptop computer in a car could easily hijack the connection, or in some cases reboot and lock you out of your own network.

About 4 years ago, in the USA the FBI started finding ‘hotspots’ were being marked on walls and paths. This has escalated over the years due to the popularity of wireless networks being easier to install and the way forward without cables. These days just driving around in a car will find many ‘hotspots’.

To secure a network doesn’t take much more than a simple password; obviously don’t use simple names or birthdays! An alphanumerical password would be more beneficial.

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Hybrid

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I quite agree with what you've said Hy, but I think it has to go further than just using a password to protect your system security.
One of the principal reasons why hotspots occur is because users don't turn their networks off when they are not needed; a single hotkey application is all you'd need to terminate the session.
The other thing that does come to mind is that some people who have networks set up in their homes don't really need them; okay, it's nice to have a backup PC for whatever reason, but to have both running at once when you can only actually use one of them is a bit silly, and asking for trouble.
Put simply, people shouldn't put themselves in the frame unnecessarily.
JB.