wi-fi security?

[Steven Susbauer]

On Aug 5, 2009, at 6:46 AM, Zachary Uram wrote:

> Got a new laptop and was wondering about wifi security. I've never
> used wifi before. I wanted to go to some of the local coffee shops
> that offer free wii but I need to know:
>
> 1) How do I setup wifi in Linux?

In Ubuntu this is done through Network Manager which is installed by  
default, it's the same program that pops up messages or animates its  
icon when you plug in to ethernet. You should see the icon in the tray.

> 1) How do I detect and connect to public free network(s)?

Click the Network Manager (nm-applet) icon, it will show all the  
wireless networks that your computer can see, clicking one will  
attempt to connect.

> 2) How do I make my laptop more secure so others on wifi network can't
> steal or sniff my packets?

You could set up a firewall to protect the computer itself, but if  
you're not sharing files or running any listening daemons (like ssh)  
than this is probably overboard. The problem with unencrypted wireless  
networks is there is not really a way to keep at least some of your  
traffic from being viewed by someone who's hardware supports  
listening. If you are using HTTPS connections or those otherwise  
encrypted, that traffic will not be viewable. Anything unencrypted,  
like plain web-surfing or chatting on a non SSL IRC server (even  
identifying your nick) or sending an email through plain SMTP can be  
viewed though, no way around it other than probably setting up a VPN.

>
> I heard many people using free wifi get heir passwords sniffed, etc.

Best advice is to avoid logging in with plaintext while on a public  
network.

>
> Also another problem is that when at home I want my laptop to be able
> to share my DSL connection, right now my desktop is connected directly
> (static IP, no PPoE just raw ethernet frames) to the DSL modem and I
> was hoping I can keep this setup and find a way to attack my laptop
> when I want to use it at home so what hardware would I need and how
> should I set it up?
>
> So right now I have:
> phone jack ----> UPS ----> DSL modem ----> desktop NIC
>

You can share the connection by installing another NIC in the desktop  
and configuring it as a router. It may be more simple to just buy a  
consumer router which isn't much more expensive than a wireless NIC  
(if you wanted to share a connection wirelessly).


Hope that helps,
    -Steve