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Worried about your Wi-Fi security?
Even for IT professionals, keeping a business's Wi-Fi network safe from outside threats requires the correct setup with the strongest security.
Running a wireless network with no security is akin to unlocking your door and hanging a sign on your house inviting thieves inside to steal. It's easy to understand how for someone with no real training, figuring out how to protect yourself might seem nearly impossible.
Especially when current security features such as WEP Encryption has been cracked by hackers... even "thinking" you wireless router is secure sometimes isn't enough. Networking industry executives say that as a result, getting consumers to use the security capabilities already built in to their wireless products is a struggle.
Plenty to lose
Studies suggest that an overwhelming majority of Business's wireless networks lack sufficient protection from outside intruders. According to figures from Gartner, some 80 percent of U.S. residential and business wireless local area networks, or WLANs, will classify as "unsecured" by 2007. The Stamford, Connecticut based research company contends that 70 percent of successful attacks on business wireless systems through 2008 will be the direct result of improperly configured WLAN access points and mismanaged client software.
And at a recent focus group session held in San Francisco, Tom Powledge, director of product management at security software maker Symantec, was amazed when four out of five people at the event admitted their wireless networks were not protected by any technology safeguard.
For some of those people, the idea of offering open Internet access via their home or business network was novel and nothing to worry about, Powledge said.
"Some people really don't care too much if people are logging on secretly, using their wireless connection. They feel they're providing free Internet to neighbors," Powledge said. "But what these people don't understand is that if someone else starts using your network to browse whatever they want on the Web, it's going to come back to your IP address."
That means people can surf unsavory content from your unique, traceable Internet location--and slow your Internet performance down at the same time.
Those whose wireless systems can be penetrated are exposed to other serious threats too. For example, attackers could implant malicious programs, including spyware, adware and Trojan horse applications, directly onto a computer. That could open the door to more serious problems such as online fraud or even identity theft.
In one instance, a Los Angeles man pleaded guilty in September to distributing pornography spam e-mails, sent out using other people's Wi-Fi connections, which he accessed from inside his car. And in 2007, a man in Toronto was arrested for downloading child pornography using other people's unsecured wireless networks.
The practice of cruising around town to look for unguarded wireless networks has become so popular that the phenomenon has even acquired its own name, "Wardriving." And some industry experts point out that the day of sitting outside someone's house to steal their bandwidth is being outdated by signal-boosting technology that lets individuals get onto a network that's miles away. Wardrivers even keep updated web sites which list vulnerable locations in local areas.
"A signal enhancer available at your local RadioShack can give someone access from as far as 50 miles away," said Drew Carter, product manager for strategic opportunities at security software maker McAfee. "It's not just your neighbors that you need to worry about anymore."
Help is on the way
Even if you can successfully deploy the security tools that come with wireless hardware, I think a lot of users get a false sense of protection from it. People think a simple firewall secures all their communications, while the reality is that though your connection in and out of that device is partially secured by the firewall, the actual connection between that device and your computer...may not be secured at all.
Third party professionals who specialize in wireless security is always the preferred route to take and the upfront expense (which is usually minimal) can be priceless later. The threat of your competitors alone gaining access to your proprietary information can be devastating to any company. With encryption standards such as WPA-PSK, Mack Address Filtering and the appropriate unidentifiable SSID, many steps can be taken to protect yourself... and in today’s atmosphere these steps are critical.
In such a case where the importance of protecting your network is so critical, contacting our parent company Dynamic Networking Solutions can be of great help. They specialize in securing all levels of wireless and wired networks and can bring well over ten years of experience to your particular situation. www.DNScompanies.com