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
    2011-09-06T20:24:05+00:00

    Case in point.  I thought I was being a nice guy, and let my neighbor log on to my internet from her laptop (on which she is the admin).  Now, because of this nifty feature in Win7, she also has her iPod, and her friend's notebook, and sometimes a game console logged onto my internet.

    It's true, that ultimately, it was I, the network administrator,  who initially allowed one device.  I trusted that she would be happy with that.  Clearly, she was not.

    Then you need to inform your neighbour that she's abused your trust. Change the password and only let her have the new one on condition she agrees not to give it to anyone else - an infringement and she's off the network for good

    All this would not have happened if MS actually addressed computer security properly instead of playing at it and the default account set up in Windows was a Standard User not an admin - like Linux and Unix do....

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  2. @CmdrKeene 90,631 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2011-09-06T18:11:24+00:00

    She doesn't need any skill to get the code on prior versions of windows either.  Windows XP even showed the characters.  Go even older (about 15 years back to Windows 2000 or NT) and still wasn't "secure", it was just a plain text field in the registry.  Not exactly hacking a wifi network to get to it.

    If your only sense of security is "hopefully folks are too stupid to know (or Google) how to get this", you probably aren't that secure.

    Having said that, I get your point that you want to be able to have guests use your network without just giving them free reign for the foreseeable future.  I agree that it's a valid and legitimate request and deserves to be submitted.

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-09-06T16:20:36+00:00

    Case in point.  I thought I was being a nice guy, and let my neighbor log on to my internet from her laptop (on which she is the admin).  Now, because of this nifty feature in Win7, she also has her iPod, and her friend's notebook, and sometimes a game console logged onto my internet.

    It's true, that ultimately, it was I, the network administrator,  who initially allowed one device.  I trusted that she would be happy with that.  Clearly, she was not.

    Now, here's the deal.  She isn't likely smart enough to have done a little research online to find the tools necessary, and follow the steps necessary to "steal" my network password.  She IS however, smart enough, to put a check mark in the box labeled "Show characters".

    Many in this thread are doing a lot of talking around the point with discussions of who is administrator, and how easy it is to get the password anyhow, and putting the blame on the user.  True, ultimately, the fault (in my case) can be the network administrator's, as they are who initially has control of the password sharing.  But the FACT undeniably still remains that the check-box should not be there!

    Think of it like this.  I can put on a ski mask, and rob you at gunpoint.  (ie Go online and download tools, or learn "hacks" to acquire your password.)  That doesn't mean that if I casually walk up to you on the street, and ask you to please give me all of your money, that you should.  (ie Display a check-box saying "Show me the password!")

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  4. @CmdrKeene 90,631 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2010-11-15T16:17:04+00:00

    A) Just as if you were installing or updating any software, you can do that on your own time while logged in as an administrator.  You don't need to give every user full control to your entire network just so Adobe Flash can be updated, which seems irrelevant to this topic.

    B) If your friend brings a laptop to your house, you don't need to give them any access to your computer (administrator or otherwise) for them to use your wifi.  Your computer isn't controlling the wifi.  Why are you giving them administrator access to your computer?

    If this solves your issue, click the 'Propose as Answer' link below, and vote as helpful by clicking the green triangle to the lelft. Thanks!

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