Subject: [NEXTEL-1] FEBRUARY 17, 2003-Homeland Security for Your Wi-Fi

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003 17:43:31 -0500

FEBRUARY 17, 2003

Homeland Security for Your Wi-Fi
Many users of wireless networks ignore basic precautions, but new software
will help foil hackers

Over the past year or so, there has been a lot of talk
about potential security breaches in wireless
networks--everything from terrorists using easily
accessed Wi-Fi to launch attacks on vital facilities to
hackers sucking out corporate secrets using antennas
built from Pringles cans. While there are serious
security holes in the design of Wi-Fi, taking some
simple steps will overcome them. And new
technology due this spring can make both new and
existing networks a lot safer.

The concern started last year, when computer scientists discovered serious
flaws in Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), the security method used both to
hide wireless data and to prevent unauthorized network access. It turned out
that the "key," a large number used to encrypt data, could be discovered by
analyzing the data that could be collected from a busy corporate network in a
couple of hours. A skilled eavesdropper, perhaps stationed a block or more
away using a directional antenna built with a Pringles can, would not have much
trouble recovering the key and gaining access. And because changing keys is a
tedious manual process, many companies rarely do it, if ever. So, once in
possession of the key, an attacker could read traffic for an indefinite period.

Because such an attack depends on capturing and analyzing a lot of data, it's
much less effective against relatively lightly trafficked home networks. The real
security problem for home users is their failure to take the most basic steps to
protect themselves. Most Wi-Fi gear ships with the WEP feature turned
off--and most people never bother to activate it. That could allow your
neighbors to ride free on your Internet connection and perhaps even read your
network traffic. But just setting a WEP password and changing it occasionally
will protect your home network from casual snoopers, and most homes are not
tempting targets for serious hackers.

Home-network and small-office security will get a boost this spring when
vendors start shipping products featuring Wi-Fi Protected Access. This new
software, which also will be made available for downloading to older
equipment, replaces WEP. A password will still be needed to connect to the
network, but the actual encryption will be done using "keys" that are randomly
generated and changed frequently. This should dramatically improve the
security of small, simple networks--but only if you download and install the
new software.

You should also take some basic precautions with your computers. Windows
XP is much more secure than Windows 98 or Me, but only if you set up user
accounts with passwords. And it's a good idea to run firewall programs to
protect against intruders. At a minimum, make sure that the built-in Internet
Connection Firewall in Windows XP is turned on.

If you want to toughen your home or small-office network so it's safe from the
teenage hacker next door--and you don't mind getting under the hood a
bit--you can get industrial-strength security by downloading Dolphin from
ReefEdge (www.reefedge.com). You need to dedicate an old PC to run it, but
the software is free and handles up to five users.

Bigger businesses have more complicated wireless-security problems, both
because of the quantity of information they handle and the value of the data.
Even before the flaws in WEP were publicized, vendors of corporate networks
were offering proprietary security enhancements. This approach protected
networks, but at the cost of compatibility: A notebook equipped with Proxim
(PROX ) or 3Com (COM ) hardware and software, for example, wouldn't
work on a network that required Cisco Systems' (CSCO ) LEAP security
system.

Wi-Fi Protected Access follows the same approach as LEAP, requiring
approval from a computer separate from the wireless base station to grant
access to the network. But it should guarantee that gear from different
manufacturers can work together and should be considerably easier for smaller
businesses to install and maintain than current security solutions.

It's unfortunate that the designers of Wi-Fi did a lousy job on security, but the
problems have been overstated, especially for home networks. With some
simple precautions, Wi-Fi is safe for home or business use. It just requires a
little effort on your part.

By Stephen H. Wildstrom

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/03_07/b3820039_mz006.htm

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