Re: [PLUG] OT: Large Wireless Network on the Cheap

[Paul <gyoza@comcast.net>]

Jason Costomiris wrote:

> Yes, it gives you both access control && encryption.  WPA includes
> crypto & auth components.
>
>  
This is good.

WPA support seems to vary widely based on hardware /and/ software.  That 
got me thinking about VPNs again.  VPN's, at least in my case, are 
software-only and totally free, with good support for multiple 
platforms.  Then, I realized the vulnerability of using only VPN over a 
wireless network.

Crackers connecting to the access point could attack the clients 
directly through their unencrypted channels.  I'm assuming that most 
clients do not have their own firewalls.  (Is that a reasonable 
assumption?)  The access point would have to restrict access to the VPN 
port only to protect against that.  Again, there's that trade-off 
between convenience and security since non-VPN clients would not be able 
to use the network.



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