It would seem that just about everyone either has or wants a wireless network these days. The advantages are obvious: Being able to connect more than one PC or laptop to the internet in different parts of your home and having the flexibility to sit in the garden on a nice summer's day and do some work. The disadvantages are not so obvious.

FREE INTERNET ACCESS:

The really scary part about running an unsecured wireless network is just how easily it can be accessed. I had a client who recently bought a new Wi-Fi-enabled notebook and loved how it let him browse the Web for "free" from his house, blissfully unaware until I made it known to him, that he was in fact accessing his neighbor's wireless network.

Its actually quite common in cities for people with Wi-Fi-enabled notebooks to get this kind of free online service, making their neighbors wonder why their Internet connection isn't as fast as it used to be?

There seems to be some kinda 60s "make love not war?" ideology being bandied around the internet at the moment that its such a cool thing to make your network accessible, free for "the people", kinda thing. Burn your bra if it makes you happy but make sure you secure your network!

THE DANGERS:

Beyond the issue of bandwidth theft, the dangers of using an unsecured wireless network are ever present and growing at an alarming rate. Hackers often use this free Web access to e-mail threats or transmit other illegal material that will ultimately be traced to your network. No it doesn't just happen in the movies or in The U.S.

I recently had a client here in The Hague who had his connection closed down by his internet service provider as his laptop was being used as a spam server, sending out hundreds of illegal emails offering all kinds of services every day. Oh, and he still has to pay his monthly connection fee even though he cannot access the internet.

These free-riders are not just looking for free Web access, either.

Using whats known as the "evil twin attack", a hacker can turn his laptop into an access point on your network, giving him the ability to eavesdrop on all the data transmitted through your unsecured network.

PROTECTION:

To protect yourself, enable encryption on your network. WPA encryption is the best, but WEP is still better than nothing, even though software is available online to help hackers bypass it. You should also change your wireless access point's SSID (the name of your wireless network) and password from its defaults since many factory settings are known to hackers.

SOFTWARE:

There are a number of software solutions to help with wireless security although most of them have their flaws but do offer a certain level of protection depending on your needs and budget

Disclaimer:

If considering burning your bra, don't do a "Mrs. DoubtFire". Take it off first!