August 14, 2008
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Encrypting Wifi
Dear Xanga,
I have a wifi-enabled laptop and sometimes I access non-secured wifi access points (I know, terrible). I’ve heard that there’s software you can install to encrypt your data stream… does anyone know where I can get me some of that?
Thanks!
John
Comments (44)
check GRC.com, Steve Gibsons place, they have security patches and apps for everything………….
I guess you could not get me featured…..
Thanks anyway…you guys are still the best ,and Xanaga still kicks ass….
How do you like the new pic….
..:: dr. dante
Hm… I wish I knew. I have wifi problems myself. My laptop has wireless capabilities and can only seem to connect to the wireless systems at home. E.g., if i go to a place with free wifi (like a public library) or to another non-secured wifi access point, I cannot connect to the internet for some reason, though the wireless device claims to be connected, when I click on the browser no pages load.
Hi! I don’t have the answer! I will talk like I know something and show how little I actually know to everyone else!
That sounds impossible John. In order for data to be encrypted there has to be a handshake of some sort between the device sending and the device receiving. In order to encrypt something from your laptop over wifi you have to be sending it encrypted through the unsecured wifi to a place on the internet that can receive your encrypted data, like sshing into a xanga server, it could be intercepted, but what would anyone do with the gibberish?
Maybe what you need is to create a tunnel from your laptop to a xanga server through an encrpted connection and browse from the xanga server. All your communications would be encrypted and you would actually be browsing from 7th avenue and not the starbucks in Pensylvania and no one in between would be able to see you looking at pr0n.
Have one of your tech guys set it up for you, it’s pretty simple to do.
Echoing what @GhostBenjimon said – what you need is Virtual Private Network (VPN). It creates an encrypted tunnel between you and a private network and lets you browse the internet using the private network’s connection.
Alternatively there is software called TOR (http://www.torproject.org/) that will do the same thing – it is designed to provide a secure, anonymous connection to the internet. It is more difficult to set up on the client side but requires your tech guys to do nothing.
Executive summary:
VPN – easy to set up on your laptop, but requires your tech guys to configure on their end of things.
TOR – a little more work to set up, but works for everyone and requires nothing from your tech guys.
-Mike
dude. you should ask for advice once a week from the community, and see what people ask you. could be a simple as a place to go and have dinner (just give some parameters) to more complicated issues.
do it.
I’ll tell you like I would tell HappyDeviant…..GOOGLE THAT SHIT
try one of these sites. the second one should have the answer.
http://hardforum.com/usercp.php
http://www.dslreports.com/?r=573
http://forums.pcper.com/usercp.php?
You could just type stuff in pig latin. I heard that throws everyone off.
are you having a conversation with yourself? john = xanga
All I know is Xanga is tiny on my PSP.
Uh… what I do is make sure I have really really smart/geeky friends that cave in when I offer to cook them a meal in exchange for fixing whatever computer problems I might have. It works every time. You should try it!
@IamDonnaC - you are sneaky. D: (im one of those people who fall for that trick)
You can use a SSH tunnel as a SOCKS proxy - 100% free and does exactly what you need.
I access non-secured wifi spots too. I know where to go in my little city. haha.
everyone who works at xanga is my hero. swoon.
If you’re seeking help from Xanga, then what hope is there for the rest of us???
If you find this out, let the rest of us know. I had no idea that there was this kind of technology out there.
Hmm… I am, however, a little concerned that you don’t know the answer. I thought you knew everything
When I saw the title of this post, I thought you were going to explain how to do that, and so I rushed right over. I don’t even know how to encrypt my home wireless, except that I do have nice software that tells me which of my neighbors is trying to access my wifi, and lets me boot them. THIEFS (actually I wouldn’t care, except that it might slow me down).
So I have an unsecured network that they can’t access? I don’t really understand that to tell you the truth.
John,
There really isn’t a way to do this hardware-wise. Your best bet is to create a VPN tunnel to another machine (say, an extra server, or if you have a static IP your home machine maybe), and set up that machine to allow you to VPN in and browse from that IP.
WiFi is inherently insecure, and VPN is the least amount of security I’d use when browsing if I were you.
Nope, not a clue..
come on, you’re the Xanga man! Get a VPN set up! That should encrypt your internet. That’s what I do when I use wireless abroad.
But, I thought you were Xanga?
You’re asking for our help?
The end must be near.
Wi-Fi sounds like a robot poodle’s name.
I know a guy who knows a guy who can get you that, but it’s probably gonna be costly, because it has to be smuggled in from Estonia.
Sorry John, not my forte.
Hello John,
Is there any way to move the Google ad to the top of the page, or to any other part of the page so it doesn’t block my entries/destroy my layout?
Thank you,
drunken_duckie
Just dropping by to say “hi”
that stinks john.
i dont think so…
Hey, John, I got that post up I pulsed about. Check it out if you want.
“”I know a guy who knows a guy who can get you that, but it’s probably gonna be costly, because it has to be smuggled in from Estonia.”"
bwahahahahahahahahahahaha @ ATTR
tsk tsk tsk…” have a wifi-enabled laptop and sometimes I access non-secured wifi access points (I know, terrible) ” shame, shame, shame…
Spawning worthless spin-offs of your money-making venture, “John”?
I’d rather have Bianca back than deal with whining christians, teens, and expectant mothers.
hmmm… i’d ask Cakalusa. he’s good at getting pirated stuff. and speaking of Cakalusa… FUCKING AWESOME comment you left on his “prostitute shopplifting” pulse-post.
once you find the best answer/actual solution, can you post again? because i’d like to know too (without having to go head hunting in estonia…)
John,
I hope you are going to take a break and have a three day weekend..
You all deserve it!
Thank you for making Xanga what it is.
I really do appreciate it!
tina
Sean answered it, but I’ll take the opportunity to say:
Dude, why you gotta keep sending those ‘earn credits by being a guinea pig because Xanga management thinks you’re stupid’ redirects?
I’m a lifetime member, and somehow ‘true.’ But apparently those appellations mean nothing to you guys… I’m really sick of it.
I’m your customer, not your product.
Um…no. But I do have a reservation at an Holiday Inn Express, so I’ll likely have a better answer for you in a jiffy!
Wait, why is it bad?
John, im sad because lighting struck a football field where i live and hurt a bunch of the coaching staff
Where were you last night? We were supposed to talk on AIM.
I love you man
I think, as a general rule of thumb, if you’re going to access an unprotected wireless access point, you are no longer privy to privacy. If the owner of that access point has enough techincal savvy, should be able to gleam into whatever you’re doing on his connection. Sure, they should take steps to secure their network if they don’t want outsiders on it… but on the flip side, if they were so inclined I’m not opposed to them sniffing packets and seeing if you’re planning to run a kiddie porn ring.