Replies

Basically laughs at the idea of hiding the SID is any level of security what-so-ever.

Googled up the concept, did you? I checked, that source comes up first for "security hide ssid" in Google. I'm glad you're learning something. As I said, and as your source confirms, both can easily be bypassed by an expert. But look at more sources. Both are still commonly accepted security practice.

True, it only takes a little extra effort by an expert to bypass SSID hiding and MAC filtering. But it's a good thing to force more effort upon your attacker. It quickly eliminates those going for the low-hanging fruit in your neighborhood, or just those who are less talented. It slows drive-bys and generally makes you the least attractive target of the 10 more open WiFi networks available from that spot in your neighborhood.

A dedicated hacker with resources can quickly bypass WPA2 encryption using a rainbow table attack if you didn't change the SSID (assuming average password length). But changing the SSID only slows him down in that same scenario, as a brute force attack can still be done with GPUs. Does that mean you shouldn't change the SSID from the default? No, changing the SSID is recommended because it slows the attacker down.

Defense in depth. Learn the concept. Removing even layers you know can be bypassed still lowers your depth.

If you want to talk counter-effective security measures, think of the Club (steering wheel lock) in modern cars. The thief quickly cuts through the steering wheel with a small hack saw to take the Club off. At that point, what is the Club to him? What you just left in your car for the thief to use is a hardened-steel bar that he can use to gain great mechanical advantage against the steering wheel to break the internal steering wheel lock. The Club is actually a benefit for the thief because it saves him from having to suspiciously walk around with a long leverage bar. In this scenario, the Club actually makes your car MORE attractive to the thief and likely to get stolen.

But even that negative scenario assumes a pro is going after your car. An amateur looking for a joyride is likely to pass over your car and go for your neighbor's if you have a Club.