| Rogue access points put your network at risk. | ||||||
 |
||||||
| By David Baum |
||||||
|
||||||
| As companies create wireless local-area networks (LANs) and deploy advanced mobile applications, creating a secure, reliable, and easily managed network becomes increasingly complex. In some cases, well-intentioned employees install wireless access points on their own, using inexpensive networking gear. When not properly secured, these so-called rogue access points put the entire network at risk of unauthorized access. "When users are no longer governed by their precise location, you are dealing with a much fuzzier attack vector," suggests Paul Stamp, an analyst on the Telecom and Networks team at Forrester Research. According to Stamp, companies can do three important things to minimize risk:
Intrusion-detection technology can help detect unsanctioned activity, while tools can provide a central management solution, detecting access points as soon as they are plugged into the LAN. (These tools work with the CiscoWorks Wireless LAN Solution Engine to create a secure, "wireless-aware" infrastructure.) "You must establish firm policies for authentication and confidentiality and monitor the network continually for rogues," says Stamp. In the end, he says, the best way to enforce wireless security is to give users no alternative but to do it properly. iQ Magazine, Second Quarter 2005 |
||||||
|
||||||
|
||||||
Guest
