Chapter 5 Mobile Security

I found chapter 5 to be the most interesting so far. I have a couple of mobile devices, and a wireless network but I had no idea what I can do to make them more secure. This chapter gave me the tools to make them more secure.

I learned that attacks against home Wi-Fi networks are relatively easy. There are three primary reasons: the signal can be picked up outside the building, users are unaware how to configure the router's security, some users consider Wi-Fi security an inconvenience. WOW, I really do not understand why some users would consider security an inconvenience, especially if you use your computer to do business. What bothers me most is an attacker could possibly be reading my wireless transmissions which includes usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and other information I send over the network. All routers come with a default password which is usually the word 'password'. I had replaced that with a strong password when the router was first set up. I also have remote management turned off which adds a stronger degree of security. I learned that WPA2-PSK (AES) should be selected and I discovered that my router was set to 'none'. So, I turned on the WPA-2PSK (AES) with a passphrase (key value). I learned that key values should be at least 20 characters in length because of the damage that can result from a key value being cracked by an attacker.

I am always taking advantage of free Wi-Fi in restaurants and other places but I never use those services for sensitive transactions. It's always to play a game or check my email or text messages. One needs to use the public Wi-Fi with caution because the signals are rarely if ever encrypted. I never use my devices to make purchases unless I am on my home network and I rarely use them to do that. I prefer to use my desktop computer for online purchases.

I learned that tablets and smartphones have increasingly been the target of attackers. This can be done through an infected app, downloading from an unofficial app store, connection to another computer, email attachments, and attacks through networks. To make my smartphone more secure, I installed an anti-virus software which includes settings for remotely wiping the contents of the device if is lost or stolen. I have not installed anti-virus on my tablet but I will be looking into this very soon. I don't use my tablet to check my email like I do with my smartphone. I also learned that by disabling Bluetooth on my smartphone and tablet that it will prevent bluesnarfing. Bluesnarfing is an attack that accesses unauthorized information from a wireless device through a bluetooth connection.