Wireless Networks
- Wirefree Networking
How secure is your Office
Network?
Wireless Technology may be a great piece of technology
and highly useful in today's busy offices BUT - it is
insecure! Little has changed with the low level of security
on wireless connections since it was invented unless
you have done something to protect your system.
If you run an office from home or from business premises
the Data Protection Act requires you to keep information
confidential.
Hard wired Networks should always be used in conjunction
with a firewall to afford the maximum protection.
The same apples to a Wireless network, however, many
wirefree or wireless networks are not adequately protected
because they have not been installed properly with the
right level of security.
Wireless networks
If you have a Wireless network connecting your computers
or a mix of hard wired computers which are connected
to by a laptop on a wireless connection (such as Blue
Tooth) it could be possible for anyone outside your
office with the right kind of kit (software) to gain
access to ALL of your network and its information if
you have not taken steps to adequately protected it.
Network Security and
Privacy
Wireless networks are, by nature, much less secure
than their more mature wired cousins. Since wireless
NIC's use the air as their data transport medium, they
are vulnerable to unauthorized use and eavesdropping.
A network "sniffer" could be used to monitor
and steal network information with a heightened sense
of ease versus a wired LAN. Without the need for a physical
connection to access a wireless networks, they can be
easily infiltrated. All the would-be hacker needs is
a wireless NIC and knowledge of the current weaknesses
of wireless network security to guide them.
Securing your wireless
systems
You can take some simple measures to achieve a level
of security in your wireless local area network (WLAN)
that is good enough for most small businesses. Here
are some ideas to help you get the best from your WLAN:
- Don't assume that your business is of little interest
to hackers. Hackers often do what they do just for
fun. They may also use your business to do damage
to someone else using your insecure network, e.g.
by logging on to one of your servers and installing
software that can damage another business' web site,
causing it to become unusable. The attack would appear
to come from your server.
- Make sure that new equipment matches the standards
selected. If possible order equipment from the same
supplier. See the page in this guide on WLAN standards.
- Always switch on the security when installing new
equipment. Failing to do so could leave your entire
network open to attack.
- Try to site access points - which transfer data
between your devices - away from the outside wall
of your building to minimise leakage of radio signals.
This limits the chances of interception from outside.
- Don't allow employees to add access points without
management authorisation. One insecure access point
could compromise your entire network.
- If you need a high level of security for your wireless
transactions then you should use only the latest technologies.
Unless you have good technological skills in your
business, consider bringing in external experts to
check your security measures.
- If you can, use firewall's to isolate the WLAN
from the rest of your network.
- Check your network and logs periodically to make
sure that your network has not been broken into. If
you are not sure how to do this, call in an outside
expert.
- Keep software up to date as this makes it much
more difficult for hackers to exploit faults.
|
