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Chapter 1 Introducing the NWA
NWA1000 Series User’s Guide
15
1.4 Configuring Your NWA’s Security Features
Your NWA comes with a variety of security features. This section summarizes these features and
provides links to sections in the User’s Guide to configure security settings on your NWA. Follow the
suggestions below to improve security on your NWA and network.
1.4.1 Control Access to Your Device
Ensure only people with permission can access your NWA.
• Control physical access by locating devices in secure areas, such as locked rooms. Most NWAs
have a reset button. If an unauthorized person has access to the reset button, they can then
reset the device’s password to its default password, log in and reconfigure its settings.
• Change any default passwords on the NWA, such as the password used for accessing the NWA’s
web configurator (if it has a web configurator). Use a password with a combination of letters and
numbers and change your password regularly. Write down the password and put it in a safe
place.
•See Section 10.5 on page 111 for instructions on changing your password.
• Configure remote management to control who can manage your NWA. See Chapter 8 on page 92
for more information. If you enable remote management, ensure you have enabled remote
management only on the IP addresses, services or interfaces you intended and that other remote
management settings are disabled.
1.4.2 Wireless Security
Wireless devices are especially vulnerable to attack. Take the following measures to improve
wireless security.
• Enable wireless security on your NWA. Choose the most secure encryption method that all
devices on your network support. See Section 6.6 on page 72 for directions on configuring
encryption. If you have a RADIUS server, enable IEEE 802.1x or WPA2 user identification on your
network so users must log in. This method is more common in business environments.
• Hide your wireless network name (SSID). The SSID can be regularly broadcast and unauthorized
users may use this information to access your network. See Section 6.5 on page 70 for directions
on using the web configurator to hide the SSID.
• Enable the MAC filter to allow only trusted users to access your wireless network or deny
unwanted users access based on their MAC address. See Section 6.9 on page 82 for directions on
configuring the MAC filter.
1.5 Good Habits for Managing the NWA
Do the following things regularly to make the NWA more secure and to manage it more effectively.
• Change the password. Use a password that’s not easy to guess and that consists of different
types of characters, such as numbers and letters.
• Write down the password and put it in a safe place.