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

Anonymous

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

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Anonymous

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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62 additional answers

Anonymous

2010-09-30T17:49:09+00:00

This is a real security threat by microsoft corporation which they must address immediately. The patch should be in form of very important update or even an executable program that could be installed on clients computer to correct it. This security lapses is very serious and could make other online users to distrust windows 7 security encryption ability. If I want my friends to see my password why would I use it in the first instance. Microsoft could also write a good wireless wifi hotsopt program that will be given for clients to download freely to make up for this flaw. Thank you.
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@CmdrKeene 90,631 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2010-09-30T18:47:16+00:00

If you don't want someone to see it, why are you giving them administrator access to your computer?

If this was helpful, please vote by clicking the green triangle. If it solves the issue, click Propose as Answer. Thanks!
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Anonymous

2010-11-14T20:50:49+00:00

I'm lookng at this thread because I need to give some students access to the schools wireless network, but we need to keep track of who has access. If the students can see the key, they can (and trust me, they will...) share the key with others. We would have students in the school, and everyone within signal range, sharing our INTERNET access. That would be a bandwidth nightmare!

They would be using their personal laptops, so asking them to relinquish administrator rights, is not acceptable. We realize they may be able to hack it (although none, that we know of, have done it yet) we just don't want to make it easy for them.
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Anonymous

2010-11-14T21:46:52+00:00

I'm lookng at this thread because I need to give some students access to the schools wireless network, but we need to keep track of who has access. If the students can see the key, they can (and trust me, they will...) share the key with others. We would have students in the school, and everyone within signal range, sharing our INTERNET access. That would be a bandwidth nightmare!

They would be using their personal laptops, so asking them to relinquish administrator rights, is not acceptable. We realize they may be able to hack it (although none, that we know of, have done it yet) we just don't want to make it easy for them.

In your situation have you considered setting up and using a RADIUS server to authenticate authorized users?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RADIUS

As I noted in a much earlier post once a user has the encryption key on their machine its quite easy, using Windows Connect Now [WCN], to get the wireless network profile on a flash drive and see the key in plain text in the*\Smrtntky\Wsetting.txt* file on the flash drive. This is a convenience for users that have wireless clients that can not use WCN automatically, ie. a Linux client for example. WCN is available on Windows 7, Vista and XP.

MS-MVP Windows Desktop Experience

"When all else fails try what the captain suggested before you started..."
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