Router Security Predicament

gamefreak94 · Jun 22, 2010

I was gonna transfer some files from my PC to laptop via wireless network, I opened up My Network Places on XP, and found this:

Folder named ".....on Compaq" are okay since that's my laptop's name, but WTF is this Juiced_Gromit system that's showing up? I double-clicked it and got an error saying access was denied. I thought someone was breaching into the network, but how? I have a 14 character 128-bit AES type password in place!

Anyway, I disabled WiFi on my router, then changed the password, network name, and also disabled SSID broadcast. I turned the WiFi back on and configured my laptop to the new settings. Then I restarted my PC, problem solved right? Wrong! Opened up my network places, and little had changed, those folders are still showing up. I refreshed several times, but to no avail.

Then I opened up the Wireless Clients Table from within the router's setup:

As you can see, only my laptop is showing up as an active client, but then where the hell are those ghost folders appearing from?

bram64 · Jun 22, 2010

I think that My Network Places saves shared locations that were once accessible, even if they're not anymore.

masta.g.86 · Jun 22, 2010

You gotta use the MAC address filter and set it to only allow certain devices to connect. I remember you said you couldn't get it to work before. You may have to manually add them.

BTW - I think bram64 is right. My memory is a bit fuzzy when it comes to XP networking, but I remember My Network Places saving old connections and displaying them even if they weren't actually connected. It used to confuse the hell outta me whenever I was creating a new network and needed to know which devices were actually online and connected.

gamefreak94 · Jun 22, 2010

Yeah that's probably the case I guess.

Anyway, yeah I remember having some issues with MAC address filtering, though I'm gonna try it again tomorrow. Thanks.

Lasnap · Jun 22, 2010

yes xp does keep the old connections in the network places folder as i should know im using xp right now just waiting to get the money for a new pc so i can use 7.

makotech222 · Jun 22, 2010

lulz use windows 7

FLaRe85 · Jun 22, 2010

Lasnap said:
yes xp does keep the old connections in the network places folder as i should know im using xp right now just waiting to get the money for a new pc so i can use 7.

It only stores recent shares you have accessed. So that machine would have to have been browsed for those to show up like that.

The other thing that strikes me as odd is that trying to access them produces an "Access Denied" error message rather than a "no network provider accepted the given path" message. So it means the machine is still accessible on the network, but is actively denying the connection.

gamefreak94 · Jun 23, 2010

That error was before I changed all the settings, tried opening it now and I got a "network path was not found" error.

BTW, just tried it, and recalled that the issue I'm having with MAC filtering is that when I go to save the settings it says "Invalid MAC address format" whether I enter it manually, or add it automatically from the Wireless Client Table :???:

Router Security Predicament

gamefreak94

bram64

masta.g.86

gamefreak94

Lasnap

makotech222

FLaRe85

gamefreak94

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