Securing the WiFi password on my router

[#1]

I have a delicate security issue at home. I was happy when my new Fibre Optic capable WiFi router arrived because I discovered that the plastic panel on the back with the password information on it was removeable. Little did I realise until last night, that the same information is copied on a difficult to remove sticker on the underside of the router. Is there a way to change the WiFi password of the router in such a way that a factory reset will not reset the password? Essentially I need to gain total control over the security of this router device. I am the only person who pays for the internet service.

[#2]

In a word, no. You could lock it in a cupboard of course and if this attenuates the wireless too much tnen put a repeater immediately outside.

[#3]

Not having that device this may not be possible but would something like this work http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/permanent-marker-pens so it can't be read

Note that if a device is connected via a LAN cable they can read the wireless password but this applies to all routers

[#4]

@Oldjim

This should work as would scraping the label off providing that the person that the OP needs to lock out does not already know the password. If it's known then all it needs is a factory reset to regain access.

[#5]

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@Oldjim wrote:

Note that if a device is connected via a LAN cable they can read the wireless password but this applies to all routers

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I'm pretty sure it shouldn't be possible to obtain the wireless password by connecting a wired device, without knowing the admin password for the router, definitely not for all routers.

However, you don't need any password to access the Internet connection by connecting a wired device, so to totally secure the device you'd need to prevent physical access, so it's back to locking it in a cupboard.

[#6]

The problem is that the password is known because I hadn't realised that the password was on the bottom of the router. I really thought that someone in the design department had used a little bit of sense in making the rear panel removeable, thus making the question of security optional. How cruelly was my faith in humanity blown to smithereens when I discovered the "security" details on the bottom of the router!!

[#7]

Has any one got a spare time machine?

[#8]

It shouldn't be @ejs, but it most certainly is, and is easily done with the right, freely available, tools.

[#9]

Care to tell me more @Anonymous ? Thanks!

[#10]

@carlcaulkett - There's nothing I can tell you that an Internet search for "Hacking WiFi" won't find.

For example : https://mods-n-hacks.gadgethacks.com/how-to/crack-wi-fi-passwords-for-beginners-0139793/

[#11]

Having given this some thought and regardless of the WiFi issue above, if you have a router that is manually configured i.e. one that you have to physically enter the Username and Password then (someone other than you) doing a factory reset on it is a waste of time as the Internet won’t work until you configure it, and if you are the only one that knows these details then all the better, and you’d know someone had the paper clip out as well!

However, if it’s an auto configured one then in theory you’d be none the wiser as everything would appear to work as normal, unless you changed the WiFi password from the default, assuming this is possible on the router model you have.

Sadly there is no single fix here, short of replacing the router and disabling WiFi, and why should you do that.

[#12]

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wrote:

@carlcaulkett - There's nothing I can tell you that an Internet search for "Hacking WiFi" won't find.

For example : https://mods-n-hacks.gadgethacks.com/how-to/crack-wi-fi-passwords-for-beginners-0139793/

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This link doesn't seem to contain anything about getting the wifi password using an Ethernet connection. It's all about capturing wireless traffic using a wireless connection, and then running software programs on the captured data.

Some routers might give away various details over than LAN from things like UPnP, over even supply things like the actual serial number over the wireless, but not the actual wireless password, and I don't think all routers do.

[#13]

this is from my Router which is why I suggested it

[#14]

I think most routers won't show you the wifi password unless you first login with the router admin username and password.

OK I suppose you could connect to the router with an Ethernet cable and then brute force the router login and then obtain the wireless password. There may well be various ways to attack the wireless network with sufficient proximity, time and computational power, but they don't tend to involve plugging a device into the LAN - that would be a bit like entering a room through the door to open a window so that you could climb in through the window.

[#15]

@ejs Am I missing something?

It would appear that I am, as you refer to getting the Password via Ethernet. But with that said I am sure a similar approach of packet capture would suffice when using Ethernet. But I'm no expert on the subject.