Netgear MA301/401 and Encryption

[Scot L. Harris]

On Tue, 2004-07-27 at 23:22, Price Technology wrote:
> As promised, I have installed the MA301/MA401 wireless card in my
> freshly installed FC2 box and it is working famously.  (using it right
> now in fact)
> 
> The only thing I haven't set up is encryption.  I am using MAC address
> access control, not broadcasting the SSID, etc. even switched away from
> the default channel 11.
> 
> While I have set up encryption at all my customer's sites where the
> Netgear MR814 in deployed, and had planned to do it here, I got curious.
> 
> Considering the other safeguards I've deployed, how important is
> encryption??  Opinions please.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Joebewan

Without encryption it would be very easy to look at all your packets
going over the wireless connection.  This could include your pop3
passwords for your email access, text of your emails, etc.

Think of it as if you have locked your homes door but have the huge
picture window on the front of the house with the drapes pulled open. 
Nobody can get in easily but they can see everything that is going on
inside.

Of course if you are using WEP someone can still break the encryption
but they have to gather a couple of million interesting packets to do
so.  Usually more trouble than it is worth for most casual hackers.  But
encryption would keep your next door neighbors kid from getting
information you may not want them to have.

-- 
Scot L. Harris
webid at cfl.rr.com

The state of innocence contains the germs of all future sin.
		-- Alexandre Arnoux, "Etudes et caprices"