Wireless

I've been wanting to get my hands on this book ever since I got the press release announcing this latest addition to the "Hacks Series". When the O'Reilly folks sent us a couple of copies, I've already had a book or two in my queue, but as I'm a fan of Flickenger's work (both the writing and the actual WiFi creations), it was a natural choice that "Wireless Hacks" received a high priority tag. After reading the book and testing some of the hacks I've learned from it, I'll try to tell you what is so good about this publication.

Cisco has warned firms using its Aironet access points running Cisco IOS operating software of a security flaw that allows hackers to gain full access to wireless networks.
The vulnerability allows hackers to steal Wired Equivalent Privacy (Wep) encryption keys. The issue arises if the wireless Lan device's 'SNMP-server enable traps wlan-wep' command is enabled.

"Under these circumstances, an adversary will be able to intercept all static Wep keys," Cisco said in a statement.

Many companies will be left behind when it comes to implementing wireless networking technology as most do not have a documented wireless strategy in place.

"That is a real problem," says Timothy Pope, operations director at First Technology Cape, who points out that while wireless is wonderful in its ability to free users from their desks, it also opens a business to a whole new world of security risks.

The Asian airline announced on Tuesday that it has signed a letter of intent with Boeing's wireless technology unit to give passengers access to a broadband connection on some of its long-haul flights next year.

Under the agreement, 40 of Singapore Airlines' planes will be equipped with Wi-Fi connections to high-speed satellite service. The hot-spot connections will allow passengers to surf the Web, to send and receive e-mail and to view broadcast TV channels, according to Connexion by Boeing.

A paper written by a security expert claims the new Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) security standard may be less secure, in certain scenarios, than the wireless standard it was designed to replace.

In the paper, "Weakness in Passphrase Choice in WPA Interface," Robert Moskowitz, a senior technical director at ICSA Labs, part of TruSecure, describes a number of problems with the new WPA standard, including the ability of attackers to "sniff" critical information from wireless traffic and to discover the value of a wireless network's security key.

Security fears have kept many large companies on the wireless-networking sidelines for the past two years, but new intrusion defenses are beginning to put the worst concerns to rest, opening the door to renewed corporate Wi-Fi spending.

Two months ago, mobile phones were forbidden in tense Indian Kashmir. Now, anyone can wirelessly surf the Web from the houseboats and gondolas dotting the waters of its famous Dal Lake.

In a bid to woo back foreign tourists scared off by a bloody separatist rebellion, authorities have made the sprawling lake in the summer capital, Srinagar, the world's latest, and certainly one of its most unusual, Wireless Fidelity Wi-Fi "hotspots."

If you deploy a wireless network or use any existing wireless technology and you want to get the most out of it, this is exactly the type of book you need. This book provides you with tips and practical short solutions for real-world wireless networking. The book consists of seven chapters, each devoted to a particular subject of wireless technology. Each chapter contains a number of hacks related to the subject of the chapter.

As wireless networks are becoming more popular, companies need to understand that they also need to be protected from intrusions because people with the right technology will be able to gain access to their networks, said Gary Sweidan, operations director of premier Internet service provider (ISP), DataPro.

Researchers at NEC Corp. have taken Wi-Fi wireless connectivity to new levels by successfully demonstrating handovers between access points while traveling past them at bullet-train speed. In a test earlier this month at a automobile test track north of Tokyo the company says it successfully demonstrated in-house developed software that allows for a fast sign-on and hand-over between standard access points.