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MyPublicWiFi – A Windows Utility to manage ICS

Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), a feature which has been available in Microsoft Windows Operating System since the deployment of Windows 98 second edition, allows sharing of internet connection from a host. ICS provides NAT – network address translation and the reconciliation of an IP address to a user-friendly computer name.

The designated computer from which internet would be shared, known as the host or server, must have at least two network interfaces. One interface which connects directly to the internet and another which connects to the LAN of ICS clients. The interface on the host which connects directly to the internet may be either of the following; a dial-up modem – even though not mostly used, a wireless adapter or card, a USB interface – for GSM modems, or an Ethernet interface. As shown below, internet connection to all ICS clients will fail when the host or server loses internet connectivity.


Figure 1. – ICS clients sharing internet connection from an ICS host or server

ICS clients connect to the internet using the single IP assigned to the server by the Internet Service Provider – ISP. This is achieved through a process called Network Address Translation – NAT. The advantage of ICS is that there is no need to purchase a router as the ICS host/server performs NAT. One disadvantage is that the absence of a router prevents advanced configurations from being achieved.


Here, all the adapters and interfaces will be visible.


Right-click and select properties on the interface which connects directly to the internet. In this case, the wireless interface.


Once the network adapter’s properties window appears, select on the Sharing tab, then click on “Allow other network Users to connect through this computer’s internet connection.”

It is important to verify that ICS is enabled on the network (Read more...)

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from InfoSec Resources authored by InfoSec Resources. Read the original post at: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/infosecResources/~3/LbawoUDXiks/