Even before the revelations by Edward Snowden, security in computer communications was a hot topic, and it's not just the spooks who are listening in: script kiddies, crackers, and war drivers can break into networks and do damage. Because WLANs are becoming increasingly popular, it's not just PCs that connect wirelessly to one other; printers, TVs, and mass storage are all integrated in a WLAN.

Although Linux it is widely viewed as a bulwark against such machinations, the free operating system cannot prevent vulnerabilities in existing industry standards. Therefore, you should take a detailed look at the security settings of your wireless network and shut down any vulnerabilities. The Wifislax [1] Live forensics distribution, which originates from Spain, reliably identifies weaknesses and helps you remove them.

First Start

The Wifislax ISO image [2], which weighs in at just 630MB, fits perfectly onto a CD. When launched, the system comes up with an unusual GRUB screen: You can then change the language setting to English in the first step and select whether to boot Wifislax with a conventional or PAE kernel. In a second splash screen, you can specify whether you prefer KDE SC or Xfce as your desktop environment.

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