How do I hide my router's password? Windows 7 'Starter'__

Anonymous
2010-01-01T23:23:29+00:00

Hi,

We just got a Lenovo S10 Netbook with Win 7 'Starter' version for my daughter and I have a question about configuring the Wifi access.  This is my first exposure to Win 7, so I'll describe things as best I can.

I clicked on the "Internet Access" icon in the tray and up came the list of Wireless Network Connections.  I selected the one for our WPA-PSK encrypted router and cut and pasted my ~30 character 'Network Security Key' (passphrase/password) and, bingo, I was connected to the internet and websurfing just fine.

Here is my question.  How to I permenently hide my router's 'Network Security Key'? 

When I go back to the Wireless Network Connections and right click my router and select 'Properties" and go to the "Security" tab, there is a small check box labelled "Show Characters" that will toggle back and forth between a string of dots and the 'plain text' 'Network Security Key' for anyone to read.  I'm not willing to keep her set up to use our network if anyone with access to her Netbook can look up my router's WPA password. 

I have quite a few devices connected wirelessly to our network, but this is the only one where I can see the password in plain text.  The others only show a string of stars or dots to 'encrypt' the display of the password.

I will appreciate any help and so will the daughter that hopes to keep accessing the internet.

many thanks,  BDT

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Internet and connectivity

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Anonymous
2010-01-02T11:36:17+00:00

AFAIK you can't override that, although I could be wrong about that.

As far as others getting your wireless key from her netbook make sure your daughters account is astandard user account and that she does not have administrator permissions. That way if she tried to see the wireless security properties for your wireless network she can't unless she enters the administrator password. In the example screen shot if I am logged in as a standard user and try to check the Show characters checkbox UAC pops up and requests my administrative user password.

http://cid-25ab668da65c8fbe.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Windows%20images/Showcharacters.png

In all cases make sure the administrative user accounts are password protected with a strong password and access to those is severely restricted.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Why-use-a-standard-user-account-instead-of-an-administrator-account

FWIW I run as a standard user 99% of the time on my Windows 7 laptop. My wife runs as a standard user 100% of the time on her XP Pro desktop. When I setup my PCs I create an administrative user, ie. Root in my case, and the required number of standard users for each machine. All are password protected. Root is only used to install programs, change system stuff, security settings, etc...etc...etc...

MS-MVP Windows Desktop Experience, "When all else fails, read the instructions"

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-12-19T15:53:46+00:00

    Well if you are concerned then we have a solution when I got wireless at my property then I also felt the requirement to hide the wireless key and eventually I spent some time and found the solution I hope you are also going to take help from it and going to appreciate

    Hide wireless network key

    If you require some more security option then you can check these links also

    How can I secure my wireless network?

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-11-27T15:56:05+00:00

    If your workstation's user account is an administrator account and you leave it unattended and unsecured, then any local access compromise is just as much your own fault as it is the attacker's.  That bad a habit is just inviting total system compromise^W^W disaster.

    Think security.  No tool or feature will help if you insist on keeping bad habits and being complacent.

    No one can read the wireless connection password, set it, change it, or copy it off without gaining administrator rights, which on Windows 7 requires passing UAC.  Even if Microsoft made Windows never show the wireless access password, it takes just seconds to find, download, and run a perfectly legal tool to view/recover it, but again it depends on being an administrator.

    If you use a limited user account and guard the administrator password as closely as you guard your credit cards, then no one gaining access to your limited user account can access the administrator-protected connection passwords.

    If you give your kids access to your computer, then it should be through separate limited-user accounts, never administrator accounts unless you want them to become your sysadmins.

    Also, the RADIUS server suggestions are good ideas regarding user-/machine-specific network access control.

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-11-06T18:03:41+00:00

    It sounds like several people on this forum need to change their thinking regarding security...

    If you give out a personal passphrase (not using enterprise security i.e. RADIUS): you are assuming that that person is trustworthy enough to only use the access you have given them in the manner you both agree upon. If they are not: don't give them access in the first place. If they violate your trust: change the passphrase and be angry at them and yourself for not being more secure minded. This is a human problem not an OS problem.

    If you are in an enterprise environment (i.e. schools) or you are paranoid: get a RADIUS server. It will solve the entire problem of unauthorized users having access because passphrases are no longer given out to the user. They have a login and it is specific to the machines you have authorized.

    Change your mind not your OS!

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  4. Anonymous
    2011-10-16T12:24:52+00:00

    Looks like Netgear is also putting the wireless profile information on the users desktop to help in case they need to recover the settings...

    http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r26396299-RI-Run-Home-Networking-Security-Check-

    That should freak a few folks out...:-)

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