Spreading rumors: Is it really safe to hide the wireless network SSID? (1)

It seems that every wireless network security guide will tell you that disabling the Broadcast SSID can make the network more secure. But is that really useful? Let's look at this absurd rumor.

This rumor has been spread for quite a long time, and we don't expect everyone to accept this article. You are welcome to express your comments on why hiding wireless networks is awesome, but we feel that if you can continue to read it, you will understand that it is not a security feature.

The wireless SSID is not designed to be hidden.

If the technology developed by the manufacturer fails to comply with the agreed technical documentation to ensure interoperability between suppliers, there is no good thing at all-this is generally a way they use to make more money, by binding suppliers to force you to buy their devices.

In this case, the 802.11 wireless protocol requires access points to broadcast their SSID, and this is the minimum thing to do. See Microsoft's Steve Riley:

The SSID is only the network name, not -- emphasize, not -- password. A wireless network requires an SSID to be separated from other wireless networks. The SSID is not designed to be hidden, so even if you try to hide it, it will not bring any protection to your network.

Obviously, the technical specifications are driven by feature requirements, so even if everyone supports hiding the SSID, the results will not bring any security. Continue.

It's easy to find the hidden SSID.

It is often easy to find out the hidden network ID. All you need to do is to use programs such as inSSIDer, NetStumbler, Or Kismet to scan and then find all the networks around you. It is very simple. There are a lot of tools available to do this.

Believe it? Download one, install and run it, and start scanning. In one minute, you can see a list of all the networks around you. We can also identify which WEP is used and break it down.

Update: some reviewers complain that the network is invisible... Here we must clarify: In this tool Version 1.0, the hidden network is only displayed as Unknown, but other information can be displayed, such as the encryption type and MAC address. The inSSIDer 2.0 version can display the hidden network SSID. You can see the lhdevnet network below, which I have set to hidden in the router.

Actual hackers will use Kismet or Aircrack to find the SSID of the network to be cracked. Therefore, it is not important for this tool to correctly display data. However, we recommend that you use it to adjust the frequency of the wireless router to optimize the wireless signal.

Hidden wireless networks are difficult to deal.

Since you already know how easy it is to get your ID, why not simply use the default network settings? In this way, you can easily select a network from the list. Why does it take several steps to connect to a hidden network?

For example, on your win7 panel, you must use the Network and Sharing Center-> Manage Wireless Networks-> Add-> Manually Create a network profile steps to set and hide all Network details. For the broadcast ID network, you only need to click twice.

Windows 7 also simplifies wireless network settings-it is ridiculous that you must complete all the settings pages of the device.