Security Issues With Free WLAN's

I feel that free WLAN's can be a great asset to the individual on the go. However, I feel a great concern about having access to a free WLAN is the security issues. People that are within the wireless range have the possibility to access sources that they would not regularly have access to with another network. This can result in doing wrongful actions with someone's IP address or sending illegal spam.


After researching security aspects of a wireless network, I found out that some are secured and others are not. If a network is security-enabled, then the Wireless Network Connection dialog box shows a gold lock, which means you need something such as a password to connect to it. If the wireless network is not security-enabled, you do not need a special password or whatnot to connect. Therefore, when you go someplace to access the Internet such as a hotel or coffee shop, this is what is used. I feel that this is a risk in itself. If I were to decide to go online with one of these none security enabled wireless networks, I would make sure I was doing something that is not important, such as going into my bank account. I do not trust these free WLAN's. There are different wireless networks in the dorms because some students have their own router. I do not connect to these, and turn off my wireless networking if I am in anyplace other then my house.


If someone was to connect to a wireless network that is not security-enabled and check his/her e-mail, someone else that is connected to the same network has the potential to read your user name and password. They could read anything you type and any website that you go to.


Some companies are trying to prevent these security risks. Windows Service Pack 2 has a Windows Firewall that when enabled, the computer is more unlikely to be attacked from viruses running on the computers of other people. This is a good idea when someone is in a computer network with people that they do not know. I have experienced being attacked from viruses through a wireless network, but it was accidental. My house has a router and wireless network set up just for my family. However, one of our computers got infected with a virus somehow. This caused all of our computers on the network to get the affect from the virus, and we could not use the Internet until it was cleared. This is an example of one of the risks that people have to take to be connected via wireless. This is definitely not a foolproof network yet.


People are stating that these risks are lower than the ones with other connections. Since the wireless network is based on a small geographical range, only clients within that range can exploit an open wireless access point.


Another interesting fact I found while researched WLAN was the effect that it has had socially. People that used to go into coffee shops and talk and socialize are not doing so as much anymore. One of the purposes for having a place such as a coffee shop is the socialization that occurs. Instead, people are going into places such as Starbucks and going on their computers for hours on a regular basis, and some do not even purchase anything. I read that one coffee shop in Seattle shut down the wireless network on weekends so that the socialization that was meant to happen can occur, and it has had a good effect. I thought this was interesting, and definitely true. It is another example of how people are being socially isolated even out in the public!


Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_LAN http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/expert/netwimprovements.mspx http://www.wifinetnews.com/archives/005325.html