What does SSID stand for?
- Secure Service Identifier
- Security Set Identifier
- Service Security Identifier
- Service Set Identifier
EXPLANATION
The SSID (Service Set IDentifier) is the name of a wireless network.
The SSID (Service Set IDentifier) is the name of a wireless network.
If a router can create more than one network, then each can have its
own name/SSID. Whether each should have its own name is a debatable issue, but not a security one.
You should change the default SSID(s), for a couple reasons, one technical one not.
Using a default or common SSID, can make it easier for bad guys to crack the WPA2 encryption. The network name is part of the encryption algorithm, and password cracking dictionaries (rainbow tables) include common SSIDs. Thus, a popular SSID makes the hacker’s job easier.
On a totally different level, you don't appear to be technically clueless. Anyone who has not changed the default network name is immediately pegged as a non-techie whose defenses are likely to be poor. There might as well be a "hack me" sign on the network.
I have seen others argue that changing an SSID that has the vendor name in it is good for security, as it hides the company that made your router. It does not. The identity of the hardware vendor is advertised for the world to see in the MAC address that the router broadcasts. Even if you change a default SSID of "Linksys" to "Netgear", anyone with a Wi-Fi survey app such as WiFi Analyzer on Android can tell that the router was made by Linksys.
You should change the default SSID(s), for a couple reasons, one technical one not.
Using a default or common SSID, can make it easier for bad guys to crack the WPA2 encryption. The network name is part of the encryption algorithm, and password cracking dictionaries (rainbow tables) include common SSIDs. Thus, a popular SSID makes the hacker’s job easier.
On a totally different level, you don't appear to be technically clueless. Anyone who has not changed the default network name is immediately pegged as a non-techie whose defenses are likely to be poor. There might as well be a "hack me" sign on the network.
I have seen others argue that changing an SSID that has the vendor name in it is good for security, as it hides the company that made your router. It does not. The identity of the hardware vendor is advertised for the world to see in the MAC address that the router broadcasts. Even if you change a default SSID of "Linksys" to "Netgear", anyone with a Wi-Fi survey app such as WiFi Analyzer on Android can tell that the router was made by Linksys.
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