Neighbor says "I can see what's in your computer"

[apunc1]

EDIT: I overlooked changing the default password and SSID on the router, as suggested below but the underlying sentiment of KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) still applies - don't try to run before you can walk and, above all else, don't break your mate's connection!

disabling SSID broadcast and changing the SSID are easier than enabling WPA encryption and will in no way disrupt the wifi connection.
one of the first things you should do when setting up a wireless router after making sure your router and modem and computer all talk to each other is change the administrator password. otherwise, anyone who finds the connection can log into it using 192.168.1.1, enter admin as the password, and totally hack your connection

[AlanRogers]

disabling SSID broadcast and changing the SSID are easier than enabling WPA encryption and will in no way disrupt the wifi connection

I totally agree with everything you've said and totally endorse the advice. However, the starting comment on the thread was "I can see your computer", not "I can see your router". Therefore, whilst these steps should indeed be taken anyway and as soon as possible, they won't deal with the network security issue.

Ubuntu, indeed Linux, asks you to set a user password in setup by default. Windows does not and then shares the root of all hard drives by default! Therein is the root cause of this problem I think. The router is ancilliary to the problem, not the cause.

[apunc1]

I totally agree with everything you've said and totally endorse the advice. However, the starting comment on the thread was "I can see your computer", not "I can see your router". Therefore, whilst these steps should indeed be taken anyway and as soon as possible, they won't deal with the network security issue.

Ubuntu, indeed Linux, asks you to set a user password in setup by default. Windows does not and then shares the root of all hard drives by default! Therein is the root cause of this problem I think. The router is ancilliary to the problem, not the cause.

but the reason the neighbor can see the computer is because of the wireless connection, so setting up security on that is key to solving this particular problem.
i was talking about the admin password of the router, not the computer os, just so we're on the same page!

you're right about os security too. but the open ports on the windows os are a whole other issue

[AlanRogers]

You're right about os security too. but the open ports on the windows os are a whole other issue

We're definitely on the same page and, FWIW, Windows / Wireless Security is a nice little money earner. I have absolutely no issue letting that cat out of the bag because there's way more work than I can cope with!

When I moved two years ago, I was connected to the internet long before our broadband was enabled, courtesy of the wireless network in the school behind! You'd think that they'd know better.

I didn't try to hack their network though, just stole their bandwidth for a few days.

[dca]

Everyone here is correct, find the IP of the wireless router and access it through his web browser:

(1) Disable broadcast of SSID
(2) Enable WEP (WPA is somewhat better but more of a pain to set-up, ie: wpasupplicant)
(3) Apply MAC address filters on wireless router

Everything mentioned above and by everyone else is done on the router end...

[viper]

Everyone here is correct, find the IP of the wireless router and access it through his web browser:

(1) Disable broadcast of SSID
(2) Enable WEP (WPA is somewhat better but more of a pain to set-up, ie: wpasupplicant)
(3) Apply MAC address filters on wireless router

Everything mentioned above and by everyone else is done on the router end...

Exactly correct...............and as slimdog360 mentioned in his earlier reply go over with the baseball bat that should deter the bugger!!!!

[daynah]

If you go out with a wireless laptop you will find the number of unencrypted wifi connections out there mind boggling. With one bloke I could see his peer to peer windows network, I could have printed on his networked printer if I wanted to. This really worries me that there are literally hundreds of unprotected people out there literally givng the world access to there personal stuff.

What worries me more is people are talking about having your washing machine and other appliances hooked up to your computer network. Just imagine the literal physical damage one could do to a house if all of your appliances where hooked up to a computer and thus accessed by anyone?

[Bezmotivnik]

Why would you recommend WEP? It's 2007 not 2001 we got WPA (even WPA2 but not as many cards support it). WEP is utterly useless and should never be used for anything, WPA is the encryption to setup.

Completely correct, but anything else is such a nosebleed to set up in Linux that most people are relieved to even have the obsolete and almost worthless WEP.

Someone nearby has 3M WiFi DSL on a carefully secured box, but with the connect open for neighborhood use, which is nice. I'm on it now and run a repeater off it to extend range, along with someone else's repeater operating somewhere else. Otherwise, I wouldn't be using Linux online as I could never get WPA2 to work in Ubuntu or any other Linux when I had my own highly-secure WiFi.

While I had a very secure wireless net, I'm not as sure about my security on my own computers now that I'm accessing an open DSL WiFi connect.

[Bezmotivnik]

as slimdog360 mentioned in his earlier reply go over with the baseball bat that should deter the bugger!!!!

Baloney.

Unsecured, open WiFi is presumptively public.

[migla]

Before you use the baseball bat, consider if maybe the neighbor was doing your friend a favor by pointing out that some shared stuff was visible to anyone.