With the worlds technology booming so fast it was inevitable that the means of networking and connecting to the internet would become more advanced and way more convenient. Wired connections of networks and a means to connect to the internet have been here for quite some time and will still be around for a very long time. This is because it provides a relatively fast connection and a more secure connection than wireless. But if we look at the needs and wants of all consumers of internet, we all want convenience, and to be tied down to phone lines is not the answer to the problem. This is the very reason why wireless connection has come out.
However with convenience comes a big price; and that is none other than security. We all look for privacy and security. We all would like to think that we can be rest assured that our emails are not being read by others or that our online banking is safe and secure. This is not always the case; any computer connecting to the internet runs the risk of being hacked or hijacked. However this is just done more easily when using a wireless network or connecting to internet wirelessly.
It's like having a huge supermarket that has no walls just few security guards around the stock. It's clear that the stock of the supermarket can be stolen easily just by outsmarting the security or by moving around them so that you don't get caught.
Similarly; when using wi-fi, your packets of data is like the stock of the supermarket. Your packets of data is protected by an encryption; however, just the same as the guards being outsmarted so can this encryption be broken or cracked. Last, is the fact that your data is moving through the air, that is why it's called wireless; this is seen as the whole supermarket that has no walls.
The steps a hacker would take are very easily done and anyone with a computer is capable of doing it. There are three main steps.
The first step would be to look for your "supermarket". In other words, searching and picking up a connection in your range; this can be done by simply keeping your laptop on and walking or driving around till you find a network.
The second step would be to locate the "stock of the supermarket". In other words, sniffing through the air, using simple hacking programs, to find data packets.
Once these packets of data is located and sniffed for important data, then it's on to the final step. The final step would be to crack the password or encryption of the data that you have found. This can be easily done with another hackers program that allows a brute force attack on the encryption. This simply means that the program will try every possible combination to crack the password.
That's all it takes to hack another persons wi-fi to get important data or just to use the victims network so that the hacker has free internet. However, one may take simple steps to make ones data more secure and make the hackers job more harder to do and possibly stop him/her from even trying.
These steps may help
1) Use a good firewall and antivirus
2) Change the admin and users passwords
3) Keep you WEP or WPA encryption on
4) Turn the auto connect feature off (only connect when trusted!!)
5) Turn off WiFi off completely when not in use
6) Surf using a VPN (virtual private network)
These are just some steps to take to keep yourself a bit more secure. But the main thing to know is that "NOTHING IS HACK PROOF". If you can keep that in mind then you might understand the importance of security.
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