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How to meld good security with hybrid wireless network

Sun, 23 Apr 2006 20:01:38 -0400

Meshing various wireless devices and applications supported by various protocols can be a security nightmare, but there are some avenues you can pursue as long as you understand the limitations of the many wireless specs and standards. The easiest and best security approach is using standard devices that support all the 802.11i-standard Wireless Protected Access-2 (WPA2) capabilities in access points (AP). But that is often not available for today's enterprises, which typically boast devices tied to different specs--such as WPA Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). The best strategy, in that scenario, is to build separate security networks. Yet remember that client devices must find a protocol match on the APs to which they associate. So, in effect, WEP has to talk to WEP; it can't talk to WPA or WPA2. By developing separate networks, such as a WEP network, a WPA network and a WPA2 network, you separate out data and voice, which could boost stability as well. Article

Advances in WPA2 solutions worth a look

Sun, 05 Mar 2006 19:01:37 -0500

There are two kinds of Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2): WPA Enterprise (an almost finished implementation of the IEEE 802.11i spec for large enterprises that can host RADIUS services and lots of support staff) and WPA Home (a lighter approach that's a bit less secure and easy to set up). That's the main reason that WPA Home is also being used within enterprises today, and the Wi-Fi Alliance has renamed it WPA Personal. The alliance is also reviewing ways to make management easier with both flavors, though automation of today's current manual key transfer work isn't going to be easy. But there has been some vendor headway that is worth checking out such as Broadcom's Secure Easy Setup (SES). Article

How to secure wireless data

Sun, 28 Aug 2005 20:01:37 -0400

If you're not using virtual private networks, or any other type of technology to secure that valuable data being shared and stored on wireless networks, you might want to investigate the option of WiFi Protected Access 2. As WiFi uses insecure radio waves to transmit data, that data is vulnerable to interception from any device near the transmitter. That means encryption is a must with any wireless system, with most companies turning to Layer 3 IPsec (IP security) even though it can boost costs and brings on a slew of technical challenges for mobile users who traditionally roam in and out of wireless access point range.

The first thing to know is that WPA2 comes in two distinct options. WPA2-Personal uses a passphrase configured on APs and wireless clients to generate a shared encryption key. It's not a great enterprise option, however, as distributing changes is a big task. On the other hand, WPA2-Enterprise provides a strong and manageable security system which boasts existing standards, including RADIUS, IEEE 802.1X and EAP. The best feature of WPA2 is that it offers an eight-way handshake involving the client computer, the authentication server and the authenticator. Learn more about WPA2 and whether it's a viable strategy for that wireless network that needs securing today.

For more on securing wireless data:
- read this article at Security Pipeline