Wireless Security
By Bob Kennedy, President, CPS Technology Solutions, Inc

If you are using wireless connectivity in your network, you have added another way to access your LAN that doesn't require getting past your firewall, and doesn't even require physical access!

By default, most wireless access points and devices are set up to connect as transparently as possible, with automatic detection of the wireless node, automatic handshaking and assignment of an IP address, and so on.  This makes it easy for you and your co-workers to connect, but it also means that anyone in the next office, in the  parking lot, on the sidewalk, in a nearby building anywhere within the bubble of connectivity may also be able to tap into your bandwidth and go online through your access point without your knowledge or permission.  Worse, they may be able to access not only the internet, but your PCs and servers too!

So, what can you do?  Here are a few basic steps you can do to protect your network. 

1. Turn off SSID Broadcasts.  SSID is the Service Set Identifier, it's the name of your wireless network.  If broadcast is enabled, your network is continuously "shouting" this ID across the airwaves, where anyone can pick it up.
   
   
2. Change your SSID name.  Too many sites leave this name at the default.  For example, the default SSID for Linksys Access Points is "Linksys".  Hackers know this.  Change it to something they don't know or can guess.  Also, be sure to change the password for maintenance and changes to the wireless access point.  The defaults are also widely known.
   
   
3. Enable and require the use of 128 bit Wired Equilivant Privacy (WEP).  This will need to be enabled on your access point as well as on each connected device.  It scrambles the data to provide an extra measure of security and privacy.
   
   
4. Filter access by MAC address.  The MAC address is a unique number associated with each network card.  By entering all the MAC addresses of the computers in your network into the appropriate area of your wireless access point, you can limit access to only known and approved devices.

None of these measures are foolproof, but by adopting them, you can gain a much greater level of security for your wireless network.  New products are on the way that will address this issue, but the above steps are things you can do right now. 

Bob Kennedy is the President of CPS Technology Solutions, Inc. Established in 1983, CPS specializes in products and services in the areas of Network infrastructure and connectivity.  Their goal is to help their customer's networks run faster, more reliabily, and more securely. To learn more about CPS, please visit them online at www.cpsts.com, or contact Bob at (800) 438-4202 / bk@cpsts.com.

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