[mrq201]

Ok i am taking a network securtiy class. The first class was today and i learned some interesting stuff. Im a CIS major and am always willing to learn new stuff. Now that ive stated that, i created a home network.

I have 2 pcs, both running windows xp SP2 and a laptop which runs windows vista.

I have a Belkin F5D7230-4 Wireless-G 54Mbps Broadband Router.
I have zonealarm on both computers.
I have not found out how to install zonealarm on windows vista as yet.

I hvae a program which scans my ports, and so far, no one is using my port that is not authorized to.

I have also set up each computer to print to one printer and i can access and view files from my every single computer. EXAMPLE.... if i am on my laptop, and i want to view files on say computer 1 or 2, i can. If i am on computer two and i want to access files on computer 1, i can. I have set up shared folders to do this or i basically shared the drive.

I have the main computer (host computer(computer 1) in my room), computer 2 is in the living room and my laptop is where ever i am. On computer two, i have not set it up as to where someone has to put in a password to log in. Basically, i have no guest accounts (i know its bad). This right here is a risk because anyone with computer sense can access files on my host computer because it is always on.

Secondly, i have not set up a password on my wireless network for my router. Another huge, big security risk.

So i have two questions i believe, or im wondering about two main things.

1. How do i secure my router, that is, whenever someone with a laptop comes into my place or in range, i want them to have to put in a password or basically securing it. Thats first

2. I want to do something where only I as the administrator would be able to access each and every folder on my home network.

Any information that is needed, trust me, i will more than happy to give becauase i really want to learn more about this stuff.

[Advertisements]

Well, for the router, it's simply a matter of accessing the router itself. There is likely a "home page" url and/or IP address on the bottom of the router itself that you can punch into a browser and manage the settings. WEP is a weaker encryption scheme, so go with WPA if you can.

Likely, the router has a built-in firewall, which is probably preferable to Zone Alarm with one exception-- ZA will tell you when something on your computer wants to access the internet. It's an annoyance to many, but it's a good indicator of an otherwise undetected infection.

Personally, I built a firewall appliance out of an old PII system and installed Smoothwall Express, a stripped-down Linux specifically designed to do just that job.

As for the shared drives/folders, you need to turn off simple sharing and set permissions on each to allow only your username and Administrator write and change permissions.

[Dngrsone]

Well, for the router, it's simply a matter of accessing the router itself. There is likely a "home page" url and/or IP address on the bottom of the router itself that you can punch into a browser and manage the settings. WEP is a weaker encryption scheme, so go with WPA if you can.

Likely, the router has a built-in firewall, which is probably preferable to Zone Alarm with one exception-- ZA will tell you when something on your computer wants to access the internet. It's an annoyance to many, but it's a good indicator of an otherwise undetected infection.

Personally, I built a firewall appliance out of an old PII system and installed Smoothwall Express, a stripped-down Linux specifically designed to do just that job.

As for the shared drives/folders, you need to turn off simple sharing and set permissions on each to allow only your username and Administrator write and change permissions.

[mrq201]

ok this makes sense with the setting of the permissions. Any assistance with setting that up. I really dont have any idea what is wap or wep, so any more insight into that and what the settings should be. I really do not want to mess up what i have already. I am afraid that when i play with the permissions, i wont be able to access the folders from my laptop or computers. I will still try to do it on my own though.