[CS-FSLUG] wireless security

[Ritchie, Josiah S.]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: christiansource-bounces at ofb.biz [mailto:christiansource-
> bounces at ofb.biz] On Behalf Of Vincent Danen
> Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2006 8:54 PM
> To: A Christian virtual Free Software and Linux Users Group.
> Subject: Re: [CS-FSLUG] wireless security
> 
> * Ritchie, Josiah S. <jritchie at bible.edu> [2006-11-30 12:20:20 -0500]:
> 
> > > > That is why I don't bother with wireless security. I lock by
MAC,
> > > > so
> > > I
> > > > am in compliance with my user access agreement.
> > >
> > > But MAC spoofing is arguably easier than cracking WEP.
> >
> > I'm much happier securing the machines and leaving the wireless wide
> > open. Recently though, I went to a FON router. This community of
> > wireless sharing folks handles the authentication. It is an
> > interesting idea, but being poorly implemented. They seem to be
> closed
> > to outside help, which is sad because this could be a really neat
> open
> > source project.
> 
> Do you have a link for that?  I know you can setup WPA with radius
> authentication (WPA enterprise, IIRC)... always meant to fiddle with
> that but never got around to it.

http://en.fon.com/
 
> I like securing machines, but I also like layered security.  Even the
> idea of someone poking on my network, despite secured machines, wierds
> me out.  =)  I like everything locked down more than is probably
> necessary, but I've been doing security work for 6 years now and it's
> made me paranoid.. =)

Ah, the constant usability v security discussion :-)   (GO VI!)

I know and accept the risk in support of ideals I'd like to see spread
further. If we released all the information that could be, the resulting
wane in security demand would probably cause an economic recession. :-)

I tend towards web-based applications for my personal computing like
Backpack, Gmail, Google Calendar and the like. Thus the information I
care about often isn't on my computer anyway. Using Linux exclusively
for personal computing (considering Mac for my wife), I have less
concern that some key logger or root kit will capture my passwords for
these services. I like my information to be accessible from any network
so locking down the network doesn't make sense anyway. I have to lock
down either end and encrypt the data between. This, of course, cancels
out VPN stuff, but I'm okay with that. They are overly complicated. :-)

I've just received a notice that I'm going to get a beta account for a
service called CogHead [http://www.coghead.com/] that actually has a
"point-n-click" interface for building web apps. Seems like an
interesting concept, but I doubt it can be used to build complicated
systems. I'll know better when I get time to play with it, but that is
my style of information management. :-)

JSR/