A client sent me a message he received from his AVG anti-virus software this week. (see below)

The reason he received the message is because he gave the new router the same network name (SSID) as the old router.  Since a computer can be set to automatically connect to a router based on it’s name, AVG is afraid that someone is trying to use the name of his network and his auto connect settings to lure him into unintentionally connecting to network so that he could be attacked from behind the routers firewall.

At this point we have two options.

1. Tell AVG that your new router is OK.
2. Change the name of your network (your SSID)

In the future this issue can be avoided by not reusing a previous network name on a new router thus: New Router = New SSID.

AVG Detection of Unknown Wifi Access Points

FAQ » Technical FAQ » AVG 2012 Free Edition » AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 2012 » AVG Detection of Unknown Wifi Access Points

What is the “Detection of Unknown Wifi Access Points” feature?

The Access Point is the point through which you connect to Internet. Different Network Access Points can share the same name. As a result, when Windows detects a network with the same name as the one it was connected to in the past, it can connect automatically, without checking if this really is the same network. Please read more below about this potential risk.

What does AVG do to identify unknown Access Point?

The Network Name is not a unique identifier of any network. AVG improves the security of its users by controlling the attributes of a network: SSID and MAC address. While the SSID (ID of the particular wireless network) does not need to be specific, the MAC address is specific and unique identifier of the hardware behind the wi-fi network. AVG controls the MAC address and advises you if there are any discrepancies found. Please note that in certain cases it can take up to few minutes for AVG to investigate the validity of Wifi network.

What are the risks of connecting to an unsecure network?

After connecting to an unsecure network, your computer is open for data leakage, if you do not use any encryption then your data (usernames, passwords, etc) can be easily intercepted. Special attention is needed when you are trying to connect to a public network.