For those of you that travel, I love my EVDO Rev A service. 128 bit encryption and broadband downloads.
There's always that risk. You have to determine what's acceptable. Gnome I know from your previous posts you have multiple computers, I just don't know how many. Is it possible to set up a small network with what you have and experiment?
You could segment the network so that the wireless clients only have access to other wireless clients and the internet, not to the wired portion of your network.
I wasn't directing my post specifically to you so no offense. And again we agree. "Home" is relative. In a city or even suburban setting any smart kid in the neighborhood can access a "home" network. Where you are the chances are slim unless you venture into town with your laptop. BTW, I've spend time up by you. Loved it. Largest elk and muley I ever took too.
Well, as I did some reading on WPA2, it seems it meets "FIP 140-2 government standards" for security. How then could "any smart kind in the neighborhood" access a WPA2 network?
It depends. Any form of wireless is a foot in the door. If someone were to gain access to the wireless device your network and all devices on it could be compromised. That said, there are some thing that can help. Free software firewall - http://www.sunbelt-software.com/Home-Home-Office/Sunbelt-Personal-Firewall/ Zone Alarm blows. Do not use any type of file sharing on the network. No shared folders, nothing. Use a USB drive if you need to transfer things. Get a router that has a built-in hardware firewall. Some do, most don't.
Only brute force as though brute force attacks are difficult? They're childsplay and not the only way. Here's some hacking for dummies links. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=how+to+hack+wireless http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=how+to+hack+wifi&btnG=Search http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=how+to+hack+wireless+internet+connections&btnG=Google+Search
Just to get you started: beginner's guide to hacking a wireless network You are correct that WPA 2 is the most secure form of wireless network. That being said, not everyone has it or if they do they may not have it enabled. It is a hassle. Just one more thing to figure out for most non-tech types. More passwords. Face it, the average Joe just looks for the path of least resistance. If you run WPA 2 you are not likely to have any problems with security.
Please re-read my OP. I am talking specifically about hacking a WPA, particularly WPA2, network. Since I can type in Google keywords with the best of them, please provide a single link that talks even in general terms about remotely hacking a WPA2 network with a 16-character or longer passphrase. I don't believe it can be done today, even with computing power far beyond what a dedicated hacker might possess. Your other assertion, that brute force is "child's play" is also wrong. While indeed not difficult to implement, it becomes exponentially more time consuming as the length of the passphrase increases, and 100% not feasible around 10-12 characters. (Try 62^10 = 8 x 10^17 possible combinations, for starters, where 62 is the number of upper and lower letters and digits in this language.) Now, if people out there don't spend a little time RTFM and stick with WEP or 6-character passwords (or no security at all), that's their problem. Nevertheless, extremely high degree of security is available to every individual wi-fi user today, at no extra cost. Let's not spread paranoia and misinformation.