NI Wi-Fi users wide open to hackers warns expert

Northern Ireland companies using wireless computer networks are leaving themselves wide open to hackers, a University of Ulster expert warned today.

Kevin Curran, a lecturer at the School of Computing and Intelligent Systems at the University’s Magee campus, said he and a colleague were able to penetrate 15 company networks in Derry in one afternoon and discovered another five which could have been hacked with little effort.

With a MSC colleague Elaine Smyth, he used relatively cheap equipment – a wireless WiFi card, a laptop and a magnetic mount omnidirectional antenna - which could be bought off the shelf at any computer store to connect up to the companies’ wireless networks.

Mr Curran warned that lack of network security among many companies can allow hackers to connect to their systems, surfing the net for free, or even accessing confidential business information.

The problem, he said, is that many companies simply install the wireless network straight from the box leaving the access point unprotected by the security firewall. “We haven’t found one yet that could not be hacked," he added.

Another problem is the range of the wireless antenna employed by companies. If it leaves too large a ‘footprint’ around the company premises it can provide an access point for drive-by hackers.

He urged companies using wireless networks to implement a number of basic security measures including:

• Changing the default Service Set ID or network name and encryption keys
• Filter MAC addresses at the access point to allow access to known users only
• Enable wired equivalent privacy (WEP) at the highest level possible and change regularly
• Limit folder/file sharing to the minimum with password protection
• Install firewalls on all connected PCs

Mr Curran added: “Hackers are the winners at present as around 40% of wireless networks do not modify original manufacturer default passwords and do not enable privacy measures.”

He said that wireless networks are becoming much more common as the price of equipment drops but warned that the cost of the basic tools needed to hack into systems has also fallen. The software required to break into systems is well known to hackers and is relatively easy to install.

(MB)