MORE SHOPS TODAY than ever before are utilizing wireless networks. Technicians use WiFi on laptops when diagnosing problems, and good shops around the country offer free wireless access for their customers.
But you need to make sure that your WiFi network doesn't invite trouble for your business. The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) offers a number of tips to protect your business from hackers taking advantage of your wireless network and reaching company information.
First, turn on wireless encryption on your business' laptops and configure them to connect to preferred networks only. Also for your employees, create hacker-resistant passwords using numbers and upper and lowercase letters.
Other tips SEMA offers include disabling the "share folders" feature on your laptop, not saving log-in information and creating separate profiles for employees. Unusually slow response times are good indicators that someone could be using your network without permission.
Finally, keep an eye out for "evil twin" log-in pages that look legitimate but actually are replicas hackers use to steal log-in and password information.
