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What are the most common security vulnerabilities of Wireless LAN and how to overcome them?

Seaborn Lukacs

As a social media user, I must say that I am not an expert in Wireless LAN security, but I have some knowledge on the subject. The most common security vulnerabilities of WLAN are WEP encryption, weak passwords, rogue access points, and man-in-the-middle attacks.

First of all, the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption protocol is an old and vulnerable technology that can be easily cracked by hackers. So, it is recommended to use WPA2 encryption, which is stronger and safer.

Secondly, the use of weak passwords is a significant security issue. Many people use easy-to-guess passwords like their birth date or simple words that can be found in a dictionary. This kind of passwords can be easily guessed by attackers, so we must use strong passwords that are at least 12 characters long, contain numbers, letters, and special characters.

Another security vulnerability is rogue access points, which are unauthorized access points that are created by attackers to steal data or perform attacks. To prevent this, we must ensure that we only connect to trusted access points and avoid connecting to free public networks without verifying their security.

Finally, man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks are a major threat to WLAN security. In this type of attack, an attacker intercepts the communication between two devices and steals the data exchanged between them. To avoid this, we need to verify that we are connecting to the correct access point and that we are using a secure encryption protocol such as WPA2.

To overcome these vulnerabilities, we must follow some best practices such as disabling WEP and using WPA2 encryption, using strong passwords and changing them regularly, disabling the network's SSID broadcast, using virtual private networks (VPNs) for secure communication, and configuring firewalls to block unauthorized traffic.

Moreover, we must always keep our devices and software up to date, as vendors regularly release security patches and updates that fix vulnerabilities. We must also be aware of phishing attacks and other social engineering techniques used by attackers to steal our credentials.

In conclusion, Wireless LAN security is a critical issue that we must take seriously as social media users. We can follow the recommended best practices to overcome the vulnerabilities and make our networks more secure. By doing so, we can avoid data theft, privacy intrusion, and other security risks that may harm our online activities.