Hackers scope out new prey as Wireless networks undefended
The technology industry is scrambling to combat what many computer security experts say will be the next target of hackers and computer viruses: wireless devices. No known attacks have knocked out business networks or large numbers of cell phones, handheld computers and laptops. But cyber assaults are likely to come in the next year, given the history of hackers targeting new technologies, security pros say.
"A lot of executives are getting very nervous," says Richard Power of the Computer Security Institute and the author of Tangled Web, a book on cyber crime. Among the danger signs that indicate Wireless is the next battle ground for hackers...
Hackers scope out new prey
By Edward Iwata, USA TODAY
SAN FRANCISCO ? Among the danger signs that indicate that Wireless will be the next battleground for hackers are :
Hackers are spying on corporate wireless networks, scanning e-mail and documents, security experts say. Soon, the fear is, they'll start stealing data. They're also developing "attack tools," or malicious software, designed to take down networks.
"They're just eavesdropping now," says David Safford, manager of network security at IBM. "But 6 months from now, we're going to see real problems."
? More new computer viruses that target wireless devices are being detected. Last month, NTT DoCoMo in Japan warned customers their cell phones might get hit by "malicious e-mail" that would dial numbers automatically. Last fall, the first-known virus to infect Palm handhelds was found by experts at security firms McAfee.com and F-Secure. Last summer, a virus called Timofonica spammed thousands of cell phone users in Spain with a harmless e-mail that criticized Spanish telephone firm Telefonica.
? Recent academic and industry studies show that wireless networks are very vulnerable to attacks. One University of California at Berkeley paper is titled "Your Wireless Network Has No Clothes."
Traditional computer networks are protected by hardware and software setups called "firewalls." They block attacks coming through the Internet and phone lines. But hackers can breach a company's unguarded wireless network by sitting nearby with a laptop to pick up radio signals that transmit company data.
Many firms have rolled out wireless networks so quickly they've neglected wireless security, experts caution. Most have little or no security software and other safeguards to ward off attacks.
Software security firms have issued recent alerts warning of the danger. McAfee, Symantec and others recently started offering anti-virus and encryption software for wireless devices. IBM hopes to roll out software this year to detect break-ins in corporate wireless networks.
The wireless market is growing rapidly. Six million devices will be shipped worldwide this year and 11 million next year, says Cahners In-Stat Group. At the same time, the FBI predicts cyber crime will worsen. Last year, 273 firms lost $266 million to computer-related crime, says the Computer Security Institute.
