When networks are unencrypted, can hackers break in somehow?
edited: I guess because I was using a wireless network at home, and the network box just went belly up. Couldn’t log in or anything. Of course, unencrypted because i was still testing the system out. I have encrypted it now, so we will see…
There must be hackers near by.
Kenneth
My wireless router does that sometimes, but I guess the firmware is buggy. A quick reset usually solves the problem.
Anyway, just to be sure, you should activate the toughest encryption available on your AP (WPA, or at least WEP 128b or 256b), change the username and password (I guess you already did that), activate the MAC and IP filters… you know, everything.
WEP 64 is (relatively) easily breakable, and it wouldn’t stop any determined hacker.
BTW… I use my neighbours’ unencrypted connection every time mine goes down (they have a different ISP), but only for e-mail and a five minutes browsing… nothing nasty. A hacker could easily cause a lot of problems, though.
Encryption will not prevent hackers from breaking in, however it will make data unintelligible if heckers get a hold of them.
If you follow the advices on this page, your wireless network should be in good shape:
http://www.practicallynetworked.com/support/wireless_secure.htm
PS: This page is a little outdated as it still mentions WEP. Newer routers/access points should support WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) or WPA2 (These are more secure encryption technologies).
Well, I found some interesting stuff when I started poking through the settings on my network.
A bunch of ports had been enable for a bunch of functions. I don’t know if they were defaults or what. But my network was scanned too about 500 times by people. And what not?
I thought it odd that at the time my network box actually crashed. I think it is more likely that someone successfully hacked the system. I don’t know who but I can guess that it was someone in my building.
I have tightened down the hatches on a number of ways as recommended in the page you sent, but I can’t find one option to remove wireless access to the administrator functions. It’s really not necessary, since I will administer the network from the table top pc. It’s a D - LInk DI-524 model with Chinese enabled… HA! Anyone know where it is in an equivalent model in English?
The previous postings by other people on this thread werevery helpful indeed…!
Kenneth
I have a D-Link DI-724P+, and it doesn’t have this option either.
You can try to change the firmware to an English version (I did that for my router - I found an English version on dlink.com.au).
Anyway, as I said, my router crashes every now and then, even though I activated all the security features. I don’t think it has anything to to with hackers. 
You might want to use ShieldUp! at http://www.grc.com to see if all the ports are at least closed (if not in Stealth mode).
I would also recommend installing a desktop firewall (such as ZoneAlarm) on each computer, especially the one that you are going to use in a public hotspot.
Make sure your router is running the latest firmware.
If you have a “Remote Management” option, disable it.