If that's what you're thinking, think again. Hackers are generally like burglars. They look for the unlocked doors and windows in the neighborhood. They won't spend much time trying to break into a locked window or door. Instead, they'll keep moving until they find a door or window that's unlocked.

Hackers work much the same way. They look for unsecured networks -- the easy pickings -- and use those for whatever purpose they desire. And in a recent security survey of wireless networks by FlexITechs, we found that more than half of the wireless networks in Sussex County and Worcester County remain unsecured -- plenty of pickings for a hacker.

So, why would a hacker target your defenseless wireless network:

1. To use your Internet access -- So what? If a hacker hopped on your network and used your Internet service, what harm could that cause? Besides the potential violation of your ISP's terms of service, the hacker could use your Internet connection to conduct illegal activities. Could you defend yourself against accusations that you visited and downloaded from child porn sites? Could you defend yourself against accusations that you illegally downloaded copyrighted materials, such as music or software? Could you prove you didn't launch an Internet attack against other computer networks? If a hacker committed such illegal acts using your Internet connection, you could spend a lot of time proving you didn't do it.
   
   
2. To see what's on your hard disk -- You don't have anything worthwhile on your hard disk, you say? It would be unlikely to own a computer these days and not have family photos or passwords or business info stored on it. Do you really want a hacker sifting through those files. There are any number of other files that could contain personal information about you that you would never know about, but a hacker would.
   
   
3. To steal your personal information -- As noted above, all computers contain personal information about you to some degree. We won't rehash all of the stories that have appeared in print and on television regarding the nightmare of trying to restore your identity after it's been stolen, but a study by the Identity Theft Resource Center showed that identity theft victims spent $800 and 175 hours restoring their identity.
   
   
4. To steal account information -- Most people these days perform some financial transactions involving the entry of a user name and password on the Internet. What if a hacker were able to access your computer and install a keylogger that recorded your keystrokes? That would enable the hacker to possibly steal those user names and passwords and gain access to your bank accounts and credit card accounts.
   
   
5. To steal your business customer information -- If you run your business on your computer, you may be storing your customers' contact information at best, and payment information at worst. Would your customers be understanding if you told them you never thought a hacker would be interested in the information a small business like yours maintains?
   
   
6. To steal proprietary information from your business -- If your business stores proprietary information that could give an advantage to your competitors if it fell into the wrong hands, then you want to do all you can to prevent prying eyes from pilfering that information.

So, what should you do to reduce the potential of a hacker accessing your network? Call FlexITechs at 537-4198 or use our Contact form to schedule us to analyze your wireless security needs.