networking Mac

Peter2

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Hello Usually when I visit a friend or family we use the admin prompt to ipconfig and note the gateway address. Then we use that in the address bar to get to the router. Once in, either by password and admin or the person's password I look at the passphrase or key so that I can enter that on my laptop when I click on their SSID and I have connection.

I was at my son's and I think he said he made the mac address specific to the device so I could not perform what I had outlined.
Is this a good security measure and in sort of layman's terms how do you do this to provide extra security if that is the case? Does this restrict you in any way?
Thank you
Peter
 

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It's called MAC (media access control) filtering. Basically, you tell your router which MAC addresses are allowed to communicate with it. Each network card has it's own unique MAC address.

It does add a layer of security and was something that I used to do, but it is possible to "spoof" a mac address, so if you could sniff the traffic and determine an allowed MAC address, you could spoof to this allowed address and thus gain access.

Since turning off my MAC address filtering, I haven't noticed any increased amount of attempts to hack into my wireless or gain access to any of my systems.
 

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Yeah MAC is not a very good security layer. Better than the option to not broadcast the SSID (security by obscurity) which actually tends to attract any knowledgable malicious neighbor, but not by much.
Debunking Myths: Is Hiding Your Wireless SSID Really More Secure?
Non-Broadcast Wireless SSIDs Why hidden wireless networks are a bad idea - Microsoft Enterprise Networking Team - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

The best security is to choose the highest security protocol (WPA2 for regular users) and choose a long authentification key (max is 64 characters) different from the default one, preferably something hard to guess (use numbers, alternate lower/upper case, etc..). Renaming your SSID (what your router's name shows up as in the Wifi neighborood) is also good.
Here is a link to a generator of random passwords, if you don't want the hassle of creating one yourself : https://www.grc.com/passwords.htm
Check the Application Notes in the link, it talks specifically about WEP/WPA security and why strong keys are preferable.

It's also advised to turn off Wi-Fi Protected Setup, if this feature is present on your router, since it has a major security flaw.
Wi-Fi Protected Setup Flaws Make Wireless Network Brute-force Attacks Feasible | PCWorld
The WPS (WiFi Protected Setup) flaw explained - Neowin

And here is more info about the security protocols :
How Safe is WPA2-Secured WiFi? | PCWorld
HTG Explains: The Difference Between WEP, WPA, and WPA2 Wireless Encryption (and Why It Matters)
 
Last edited:

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Good thing about dual-band is you have to enable WPA2 to make it work and get the best throughput.
 

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Thank you all for your very helpful information. I will employ it and send it along to my son.
Peter
 

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router

Hello
I am sharing a portion of my son's email to me as I do not quite understand all of it and want to set up my routers as best I can;

[Change the default administrator account IP address. change the default password.
enable a security protocol (for encryption) and password to access the router.
and, yeah, a mac table.]

What does he mean by;

1-Change the default administrator account IP address

2-enable a security protocol for encryption

3-a mac table -I assume this is what you kindly explained before and seems unnecessary.

Thank you
Peter
 

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Peter, how mine is setup. You only need to change the router IP address if it is causing some kind of conflict with other hardware. Second picture is how my encryption is setup. Third photo, I use no MAC filtering.

Capture.JPG

Capture1.JPG

Capture2.JPG
 

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Whoops! And here is security settings:

Capture.JPG
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer V3 771G-6443
    CPU
    i5-3230m
    Motherboard
    Acer VA70_HC (U3E1)
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 (800 MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD4000 + GeForce GT 730M
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" Generic PnP Display on Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250 GB
    ADATA SSD SP900 128GB
    PSU
    90 watt brick
    Mouse
    Bluetooth
    Antivirus
    Comodo
    Other Info
    Asus RT-AC56R dual-band WRT router (Merlin firmware). Intel 7260.HMWWB.R dual-band ac wireless adapter.
security

It seems as though, MAC filtering which did not allow me to access his router is the only security measure he used that I don't and you discontinued.
I have to have the cooperation of the user to access the router anyway so I don't need it as others need my cooperation also - unless they have hacked into my pc.

I have a password to enter the router, a strong key with WPA 2 etc. and basically the same settings you do.

I appreciate all the help you have been.
Peter
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro x 64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 8300, Dell Inspiron 15 R N5010
    Memory
    6 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GE force 420
    Hard Drives
    1TB
    Browser
    Edge, Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender, MBAM, Router
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