Executive Briefing: Wireless Network Security

White Paper
Wireless Network Security
Security is the Main Concern
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Security is the Main Concern
Wireless access points (APs) translate the hardwired electronic signals in the network to radio signals that
are sent across the air. Plugging an access point into the existing network and a wireless interface card
directly in the PC can extend networks quickly and easily. With very little configuration, one is able to set up
a wireless network, and roam anywhere within a 300 foot region without the traditional network ethernet.
Unfortunately, this also makes the same network available to any other PC that is also equipped with a
wireless network card. Without proper security precautions, intruders can freely access your network. While
IT managers would never think of installing an Ethernet drop outside the front door of the building,
unprotected wireless access is virtually the same approach, with two significant differences. With a small
amplifier and antenna, a hacker can sit undetected in a more remote location than the front door of the
building, and hackers are posting unsecured networks and their positions on the Internet for others to access.
Unprotected wireless networks essentially “open the front door” of your network to intruders that can access
shared drives and data, sniff every packet on your network, read emails, access web sites, and capture data
for further analysis, and take as long as they need to crack the rest of your system.
Three real-world experiences illustrate the reality of WLAN vulnerabilities:
• At a seminar on WLAN security, an instructor showed the entire class how to find the open wireless LAN
access points with freeware available on the Web. Within 15 minutes, students were able to sniff and
record all of the network traffic and monitor Web pages and email packets sent to the network.
• An IT consultant, scheduled to install new software on a customer's IT servers over the weekend, was
able to begin the installation process and shut down the servers from the parking lot, while waiting for
the customer to arrive, through the company's wireless network. While this was an authorized user, an
unauthorized intruder could have done the same thing.
• The well publicized network intrusion at a major commercial retail center earlier this year where an
intruder captured credit card numbers in the parking lot using tools available over the Internet.
Capturing unsecured data anywhere in the range of a wireless LAN is very easy. The issue of security isn't
limited to the standard wireless range of 300 feet indoors and 1000 ft. outdoors. Wireless hackers with
antennas and power amplifiers can access your network completely out of sight, and usually without your
knowledge.
While the advantages of wireless are tremendous, the security issues are real. Without physical security that
can be used to protect wired networks, wireless users need to protect their networks with other tools that can
provide the same level of security as wired networks. These solutions can be layered to provide the level of
security required for any user or organization.