Wireless

Chances are you don't leave your front door unlocked. And you shouldn't leave your Wi-Fi network unsecured either.

Many of you may have heard this before, but many still seem to not be doing anything about it. You should. Here's why. With a $50 wireless antenna and the right software a criminal hacker located outside your building as far as a mile away can capture passwords, e-mail messages, and any other data being transmitted over your network, and even decrypt data that is supposedly protected.

OMG! (As folks in more youthful circles text on their cell phones.) I'm finding it hard to believe the ridiculous furor over the Google Wi-Fi-sniffing Street View cars!

Wireless security concerns don't seem to be slowing hotspot growth. In 3Q09, AT&T hotspots serviced over 25 million Wi-Fi sessions – 66 percent more than in 2Q09. Aircell now offers in-flight Wi-Fi service on over 4,000 flights per day. In my hometown (Philadelphia), Comcast just launched over 2000 new Xfinity hotspots.

A British company claims almost one in four private wireless networks have no password protection. That’s despite 82 percent of users saying their network is protected.

CPP (a “life services” company that specializes in services such as identity fraud protections) sent an “ethical hacker” to drive around five cities scanning for wireless networks that could be picked up from the street. Of almost 40,000 networks detected, just under 25% had no protection.

Singapore Airlines will reinstate WiFi internet services on long-haul flights by as early as the middle of next year. The airline said it had signed a multi-million dollar agreement with inflight connectivity provider OnAir.

The agreement covered wireless internet and GSM mobile telephone services. Internet prices would be available closer to launch, the airline said. Global roaming charges would apply for voice calls, SMS and BlackBerry email. The airline is no stranger to providing wireless internet on its long-haul flights.

Samsung will tell delegates at the Createc gathering in Tokyo all about its WiMax 2 trial system, based on IEEE 802.16m with a potential speed of 330Mbps.

Samsung, in partnership with UQ Communications, claims that it will show full-HD 3D videos and 16 Full-HD videos on 4 TVs at the same time using its WiMax 2 trial systems and device. To do this, Samsung will use its commercial Mobile WiMax base station, which is currently deployed and operated by major Mobile WiMax operators around the world.

Four out of five Cisco enterprise customers have to shore up their wireless networks, says Chris Kozup, director of mobility solutions marketing at Cisco. Many were caught unprepared to handle the sudden swell of mobile devices--iPhones, Androids and now iPads--during the last couple of years, he says.

Seems like every guide to securing your wireless network tells you to keep your SSID from broadcasting to make your network more secure, but is that really worthwhile? Let's take a look at one of the silliest myths out there.

This myth has been around for a very long time, and we aren't expecting everybody to receive this news with happy agreement. You're welcome to state your case in the comments for why hidden wireless networks are a great idea, but we think if you keep reading, you'll realize that it's just not a security feature.

Research from the University of California San Diego and the University of Washington - and which concludes that modern cars are susceptible to wireless hacking - is the result of a security issues being ignored at the car electronics software design stage, say Fortify Software.

With the latest cars now coming with as many as 50 or more interconnected computer systems - controlling everything from the brakes to the door locks and ignition system - now that the vehicles are becoming wirelessly-enabled, they are a lot easier to electronically hack into.

Accessing the Internet via an open Wi-Fi network is risky because you have no idea who is the hot spot provider or who is connected to it. At the airport it may seem more secure to use a terminal to check your e-mail or update your Facebook status; however, according to Symantec, these terminals might not be secure at all.