Wireless

Sitting on the deck of a friend’s apartment last week, I read the newspaper online, checked e-mail, chatted with one of the kids, and did some other work – all on somebody else’s wireless network.

It probably was a next-door neighbor who pays for the Internet connection that I used for an hour, and my piggy backing probably slowed down their access a tiny bit. That network also is a freebie for other residents of the building, customers in the cafe downstairs, and even people with laptop computers parked in cars outside in the street.

To truly understand a criminal, you have to get inside his mind and think as he does. Follow his steps. See what he sees. LucidLink Wireless Security has done just that, creating a Flash demonstration that chronicles the steps hackers follow while tapping into wireless networks to gain access to confidential information. In an attempt to raise awareness about the security implications of unsecured wireless networking, LucidLink has recently added the demonstration to its website, http://www.lucidlink.com .

With the rapid adoption of Wi-Fi networks by enterprise IT departments everywhere, network security now involves an entirely new dimension of vulnerability to malicious hackers and casual intruders. Applications and data have literally taken to the airwaves, thanks to the compelling productivity and efficiencies gained by mobility tools such as notebook PCs, handhelds and Blackberries. Companies integrating Wi-Fi are also reaping lower IT infrastructure overhead from fewer cables, faster deployment/redeployment and reduced failure rates associated with hard-wired networks.

ncreasingly, people are installing wireless, or "Wi-Fi," networks in their homes for the convenience of remote access to the Internet.

Prices are falling rapidly for wireless access points and wireless routers, which enable you to connect remotely with the Internet. Also, most late-model laptops come with Wi-Fi capability built in. Finally, most people would rather not have to run new network cables in their homes so that multiple computers can access the Internet.

A Boston, Mass.-based start-up says it has developed software that uses Wi-Fi signals to pinpoint locations better than satellite-based global positioning systems can.

On Monday Skyhook Wireless announced the commercial availability of its Wi-Fi Positioning System, or WPS. The software, which is now available to application developers and device manufacturers, uses 802.11 radio signals emitted from wireless routers to determine the precise location of any Wi-Fi enabled device, whether it be a PC, laptop, PDA, Tablet PC, smart phone or RFID tag.

Cutting the work umbilical cord is nearly impossible these days, whether traveling for business or pleasure. We're expected to be accessible via email and cell phone at all times, even when on the road. But keeping connected has gotten much easier thanks to the increasing availability of high-speed Wi-Fi access in airports (and even in the sky). Formerly wasted time spent waiting in terminals can be made productive at low cost, eliminating the bleary-eyed late-night email check from your hotel.

As the speed of business continues to accelerate all over the world, the strategic advantages of constantly connected employees also present some high-risk problems for corporate America.

Experts say the risks are growing because computer networks are increasingly being patched together through the Internet, with more entry points into the system than ever before. Laptops, PDAs, Wi-Fi hotspots and even cell phones form a loose-knit circle of methods to accesses the Web.

Corporations, government agencies, the military, and enterprises—in fact all medium-to-largescale wireless LANs have a different set of security requirements from the wireless LAN used in your home or in small offices. Enterprise wireless security requires advanced mutual authentication and strong encryption solutions.

Faster Wi-Fi has moved two steps back, after a key standards meeting knocked the leading proposal back and re-opened the debate to rivals.
The TGn Sync proposal needed a 75 percent majority in this week's meeting of the IEEE's 802.11n task group, to become the eventual IEEE standard. Instead, the Intel-backed standard dropped back below the 50 percent majority in won in the last meeting, so the debate is opened up again.

A HACKER on a park bench could log onto dozens of US government computer networks thanks to slipshod security standards at many agencies, according to a new report.

The report, by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that few government agencies can ensure that their wireless networks are protected from unauthorised access.

Government agencies shouldn't set up high-speed wireless broadband networks, known as until they have figured out a way to secure them, according to guidelines issued by the National Institute for Standards and Technology.