Wireless Network Security and Cell Phones
Many of the mobile phones that are marketed today have the feature
of browsing the web or using the email facility. Blue tooth is a technology
to enable wireless connectivity of mobile devices or laptops to a
Wi-Fi hotspot from which internet access is possible. Smart phones
and PDA/s suffer the same fate as that of systems connected to the
internet. Increasing amount of malware is now targeting mobile devices.
These infected devices create new risks to the network they connect
to.
How good is the security of your wireless network?
Wireless network security has been more advanced that wired network
security. This is primarily due to the vulnerabilities that war driving
exposed. Now most wireless devices come with the advanced security
features. The features are
- WEP – Wireless Encryption Privacy
- WPA- Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA and WPA2)
- MAC address Filetering by Routers and Access Points to deny
access to unwanted clients.
These too have a few basic problems. The WPA2 does not work with
older network cards. If you know that most of the network is protected
and you could uses a number of tools to find out about the problems
that exist. Vulnerability assessment and intrusion detection device
can help you fix the problems that exist in your wireless network.
Most of the problem lies in identifying the rogue devices in the
vicinity of your network. The major tools try to penetrate the network
and find vulnerabilities in the network. Tools that grab information
from wireless devices are
- Kismet
- Airsnort
- Network Stumbler
- Aerosol
Securing your Wireless Network
The major aspect of securing the wireless network is for everyone
to take responsibility for their laptops and wireless devices. Some
tips that you could use are
- Change the default administrator password and user names.
- Enable WPA and WEP encryption
- Change the default SSID of your device and disable broadcast
- Enable Mac Address Filtering
- Disable remoter administration, use static IP address and
turn off the DHCP on the router or Access Point.
- Position the router or Access Point such that the minimum
radiation goes out of the perimeter security. Lower the WLAN transmitter
power if possible.
- Turn of Network when not in use.
- Periodically monitor your network with intrusion detection
system to find out rouge access points.
- Test your own Access Point with the various hacking tools
to find out if the wireless network can be compromised.
- WEP/ WPA is a strong and your wireless device cannot be compromised
if the encryption key is changed every 20 minutes. Some devices have
this capability.
Wireless security has been given more importance than wired security
because of the nature of communication. Encryption and authentication
methods for the wired internet connections have been adopted from
wireless security. Whatever be the security it seems that hackers
always are able to beat the good guys. Being on your guard is the
best means for better security.
Related Articles
Essentials of a Network: Network Security
How is the Security of your Network Compromised?
How Secure is your Windows Network?
Network Security and Linux: Is it really better?
Is your Home Network Safe From Viruses and Hackers?
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