5.) Hackers: By use of the previous four items, or by directly accessing your non-secured computer and/or network systems, this individual can open-up your personal information and decide what is worth their time and effort to copy or compromise. They can also setup programs on your computer which allow them to send "spam" e-mail from your computer to whatever spam-lists they own, and it will be done on your dime. The large amount of e-mail being transmitted "out to the world" means that your internet connection is probably slower, and you will likely be seeing a lot of returned mail from other people's servers complaining that "this user does not exist", and you are left asking "who is this person I have supposedly sent e-mail to?" Hackers can most often be kept at bay by the use and implementation of a good working Firewall, which will keep out direct attacks on your system/network. Resolution of the previously mentioned four problems can also greatly reduce the risk of being compromised by a hacker. Unless a hacker has Physical access to your device (PocketPC or PC/Laptop), hacking is usually a network based attack.
WHY YOU NEED TO LOCKDOWN YOUR NETWORK
Because most Mobile Device Users operate from home with their own high-speed network, we will address this issue first. There is no sense talking about securing your PocketPC if your home network is “wide-open”.
Most Wireless Network Routers and Access Points (APs) are sold with the ability to support some form of encryption, but sadly, most are sold with this option disabled by default. This leads to the frightening fact that most users have Wireless Wi-Fi networks that are sitting wide-open and unprotected.
Every owner of a Wireless Network has a responsibility to lockdown their exposed network. And there are a great many reasons why an owner of a private Wireless Network would want to lock it down. These reasons span a wide assortment of issues ranging from Moral, protecting your Personal Information, to Legal and Ethical reasons:
1.) The Legal reason: When law enforcement tracks down the traffic originated by the hacker who is operating from your Wireless Wi-Fi Router (or Access Point [AP]) to your IP Address, they will simply subpoena your ISP for your personal information and Address. It is most likely that the hacker will either see the Law Enforcement vehicles arriving at your house and will take off, or will be long gone when Law Enforcement arrives at the scene to make an arrest. Therefore, Law Enforcement may initially suspect you of these crimes that were actually committed by the hacker.
Lana Wyant, with the Sacramento District Attorney’s office confirms that “it is the prosecutor's burden to prove charges beyond a reasonable doubt - and to address possible alternative explanations put forth by the defense". So as the owner of the network in question, you stand an exceedingly good chance of proving your innocence during a trial. But why go through all that hassle when you can reduce the likelihood of or entirely prevent any such occurrence by simply Locking Down your network!
2.) Preventing the theft of Personal Information: There is nothing like enabling “File and Print sharing” on your home network to make it easier to share files with your family members, only to discover later on that your personal Bank account has been emptied, and your pre-tax 401K account has been cashed-out. Are you ready for the taxes the IRS is going to levy against you for the “early withdrawal” of your entire account? Or better yet, are you prepared to spend the next few years arguing with the various Credit Bureaus trying to prove that all those purchases and vacations which were billed to your credit card were actually fraudulently incurred by that “other person” who has been impersonating you for the last few months?
3.) The Ethical/Fiduciary reason: For those of you operating a Business, you likely have a professional (or fiduciary) responsibility that REQUIRES you to take steps to safeguard your client information, business data, and trade secrets.
4.) The Moral reason: Even if no other reasons applied, I believe that it is my moral responsibility to take whatever steps can be reasonably taken in order to reduce the impact of any criminal elements on society at large, and to assist society in general. For most people, this simply means locking your doors at night and being a good neighbor by keeping an eye out for trouble.
For wireless network owners specifically, this means locking-down your open network to safeguard it from the free-loaders and other unscrupulous criminal elements in society. Please bear in mind that while most of the unauthorized access to your open Wi-Fi Router/AP will likely come in the form of free-loaders looking to access your Wi-Fi to can access their e-mail and browse the internet for free, some freeloaders are serious criminals intent on inflict far more serious damage on society as a whole. These damages can range from the distribution of child pornography, to the transmission of viruses and other threats. Your unprotected Wi-Fi connection can also serve as a base platform from which they can launch their hacking attacks against other networks or websites.
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