Rodney, what security do you use on your home Wifi router?
None. I just hide the name.
The network guys on my team burst out laughing. They were ready to criticize me for using WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), instead of the more secure WPA (WiFi Protected Access) protocol. Even though I was a manager and therefore “non technical” they expected more. They started to gang up on me.
Do you realize how easy it is to find a WiFi network that doesn’t broadcast it’s SSID?
Yeah, I could find it in about 30 seconds!
And they were correct. I was working for a large non-profit in Utah and our network guys were some of the very best I’d ever worked with. The managed multiple tiers of a network that spanned the globe and was used by 30,000 users. They were that good.
Let me ask you guys something. How long do you think it would take a professional car thief to steal your car?
Ah. . .I donna know. A minute?
Probably 7 seconds to break into your locked car and less than a minute to start your car and drive it away.
So, I was close!
So, tell me. If a professional thief can break in and steal your car in less than a minute, why do you lock your doors?
Well. . .
Because you aren’t protecting your car from a professional thief. You are protecting it from a teenage kid walking through the parking lot checking for unlocked cars.
The point is that if my home network gets targeted by a professional network hacker, there’s very little I can do about it. Just like if my car gets targeted by a professional thief. But, the odds that a professional hacker is going to target me is about the same as a professional thief going after my 2001 Chevy Suburban with 250,000 miles on it.
(Photo credit: cargurus.com)
Our data center was protected by the most sophisticated cyber defense that we could create. We used multiple layers of security and detection starting at the firewall and going all the way to the desktop. Our company was a natural target.
Just like if I had a 2013 Lamborghini, I wouldn’t just lock the doors. I’d install a tracking system, an alarm, probably use the club and otherwise make it as hard a target as possible.
But, on my little cul-d-sac where everyone knows everyone, I’m not worried about a professional hacker trying to hijack my network. I’m just not significant enough.
Rodney M Bliss is an author, blogger and IT Consultant. He lives on a small cul-d-sac in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife and 13 children. The Chevy Suburban is his family’s small car.
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