Skip the navigation

New Wi-Fi security would do little for public 'hot spots'

By Bob Brewin
October 31, 2002 12:00 PM ET

Computerworld - The new security features that wireless LAN vendors plan to build into products under the Wireless Protected Access (WPA) program will do little to protect enterprise or individual users in the booming Wi-Fi public-access "hot spot" market.
That market got another boost yesterday as Redmond, Wash.-based T-Mobile announced plans to provide such service in clubs and lounges operated by American Airlines Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc. and United Air Lines Inc.
John Pescatore, an analyst at Gartner Inc. in Stamford, Conn., said public-access providers such as T-Mobile and Boingo Wireless in Santa Clara, Calif., typically don't turn on any form of security, because to do so would inhibit their business by reducing the convenience of the high-speed (11M bit/sec.) Internet access these operators sell.
Pescatore advises that mobile enterprise workers use a virtual private network (VPN) connection if they intend to use a public-access WLAN service to tap into a corporate database or e-mail server. He also suggests that anyone using a public-access Wi-Fi service install a personal firewall to prevent snooping by other users on the same public network.
Peter Beardmore, senior marketing director at Colubris Networks Inc., which sells a "hot spot in a box" WLAN setup through Boingo, said public-access WLAN users without a firewall run the risk of another airport or coffee shop user poking around in their files using the "Network Neighborhood" tools found in the Windows operating systems.
Beardmore said Colubris, based in Laval, Quebec, helps Boingo prevent this kind of casual sniffing by "forcing all traffic upstream" to a Colubris server either incorporated into the access point or separate from it. This technique, Beardmore said, prevents what he called "paper-to-peer" sniffing of one client on a public-access WLAN network by another.
But Bearmore agreed with Pescatore that enterprise users should also protect their data through the use of a VPN.
Eventually, he said, public-access providers could build the authentication part of WPA into their servers for monthly customers, providing companies such as Boingo with a way to authenticate the identity of regular -- though not casual -- customers.

Read more about Security in Computerworld's Security Topic Center.



Additional Resources
Forrester Consulting - Optimizing Users and Applications in a Mobile World
WHITE PAPER
Solving application issues over the WAN requires careful consideration. Based on their independent research, Forrester Consulting offers recommendations on how to tackle application performance issues, insufficient bandwidth and the inability to quickly restore users in a disaster.

Read now.

Security KnowledgeVault
WHITE PAPER
Security is not an option. This KnowledgeVault Series offers professional advice how to be proactive in the fight against cybercrimes and multi-layered security threats; how to adopt a holistic approach to protecting and managing data; and how to hire a qualified security assessor. Make security your Number 1 priority.

Read now.

Cut Communications Costs Once and for All
WHITE PAPER
New IP-based communications systems are being deployed by small and midsized businesses at a rapid rate. Learn how these organizations are enabling faster responsiveness, creating better customer experiences, speeding office or mobile interactions, and dramatically reducing existing communications costs.

Read now.

Security White Papers
Overcome Top 7 Admin Challenges of Active Directory
As Active Directory's role in the enterprise has drastically increased, so has the need to secure the data. Gain insight on creating repeatable,...
Insiders Can Ruin Your Company. Take Action.
Did you know that 80 percent of threats to an organization come from the inside? The threat from insiders is often overlooked in...
Top Solutions and Tools to Prevent Devastating Malware
Custom malware frequently goes undetected. According to Forrester Research, the best way to reduce risk of breach is to deploy file integrity monitoring...
X-Ray of the PCI Process-4 Proactive Steps
This white paper from Forrester Research Inc., helps break PCI into understandable components. Security and risk professionals will gain knowledge and insight into...
Identity Governance: The Business Imperatives
This white paper describes the business challenges and opportunities that are driving interest in Identity Governance while discussing considerations your organization should make...
All Security White Papers
Security Webcasts
Live Webcast
Playing Defense: Staying on Top of Your Disaster Recovery Game
When it comes to disaster recovery, rapidly growing data volumes, distributed computing models, and new technologies all combine to present an ever-changing playing...
Introduction to VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager 5
Traditional disaster recovery solutions are often too expensive, complex and unreliable to meet business requirements. As a result, IT departments are hesitant to...
The Top Ten Secrets to Avoiding SAN Performance Problems
Maintaining peak performance while simultaneously addressing the root cause of SAN errors is challenging. Learn the most common SAN problems and explore new...
Deduplication Without Compromise
Go inside Quantum's scalable, high-performance, multi-protocol new DXi deduplication appliances, designed to make backup much more effective. Discover how the new future-proof DXi6700...
Director of Disk Products Discusses DXi6700
Discover how the new DXi 6700 series of deduplication appliances provide investment protection and a future-proof feature set, all while delivering fast, scalable,...
Playing Defense: Staying on Top of Your Disaster Recovery Game
When it comes to disaster recovery, rapidly growing data volumes, distributed computing models, and new technologies all combine to present an ever-changing playing...
All Security Webcasts
Newsletter Sign-Up

Receive the latest news test, reviews and trends on your favorite technology topics

Choose a newsletter
  1. View all newsletters | Privacy Policy
IT Jobs