Chapter . Secure Your Network

If you use a wired network in your home, someone would have to break into your house, plug into your Ethernet switch, and then crouch there in the dark to capture data passing over your network.

Wireless networks have no such protection: anyone with an antenna sensitive enough to pick up your radio signals can eavesdrop on traffic passing over your network. This could be a neighbor, someone in a parked car, or a nearby business. Many free, easy-to-use programs make this a simple task for only slightly sophisticated snoopers.

However, you’re not powerless to prevent such behavior. Depending on what you want to protect and whom you’re protecting against, you can close security holes with tools that range from a few settings ...

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