Even
if you disable broadcasting of your network’s SSID, users can still
attempt to connect to your network by guessing the SSID. All wireless
APs come with a predefined name, such as linksys, dlink, or default,
and a would-be intruder will attempt these standard names first.
Therefore, you can increase the security of your network by changing the
SSID to a new name that is difficult to guess.
Even if you’re
broadcasting your wireless network’s SSID, it’s still a good idea to
change the default SSID. Because in most cases the default SSID includes
the name of the manufacturer, the SSID gives a would-be intruder
valuable information on the type of AP you’re using. In some cases, the
default SSID offers not only the name of the manufacturer, but also
information about the specific model (for example, belkin54g), which is of course even more useful to a cracker.
Finally, changing the default
SSID is at the very least a small sign that you know what you’re doing.
One of the hallmarks of inexperienced users is that they don’t change
default settings because they’re afraid of breaking something. If a
wardriver sees a wireless network that’s still using a default SSID,
he’s likely to think that he’s dealing with an inexperienced user, so
he’ll be more likely to try to infiltrate the network.
Access your router’s setup pages, as described earlier in this chapter, locate the wireless settings section (see Figure 1), and then edit the SSID value.
Note
Another
good reason to change the default SSID is to prevent confusion with
other wireless networks in your area. If Windows 7’s list of available
wireless network includes two (or more) networks named, say, linksys, how will you know which one is yours?
