WLANs and security? Get it in writing

By Ellen Messmer, NetworkWorld.com, 02/09/04

A network manager at a large U.S.-based manufacturing company last week told me that his company wants to extend its wireless LAN infrastructure beyond initial office use to its entire manufacturing facility -- literally acres and acres of buildings that would be WLANs.

The manager, preferring to remain anonymous, said his company has settled on a WLAN vendor for this enormous project, but the nagging question of an overall security approach is still under some debate. The manager would like to be able to implement the 802.11i standard for encryption that's expected to be finalized by the IEEE this June. However, his WLAN project is scheduled to get rolling by April. He said he shares some of the concerns raised in the recent article in Network World on WLAN security ("Wireless LAN worries," Jan. 12) which pointed out that 802.11i encryption is generally going to require a hardware, rather a software upgrade, to WLAN equipment. This manager is trying to evaluate the risks in moving forward on a large WLAN project when WLAN security standards are still a moving target.

My own response to this dilemma is twofold. The first is, "get it in writing." Ask the WLAN vendor to define, in writing, the exact roadmap for upgrade to 802.11i in the equipment you want to buy. Have the WLAN vendor describe what changes 802.11i will require, both in access points, network interface cards, and in the overall management of the product. By getting it in writing -- perhaps buttressed by financial guarantees should the vendor fail to deliver what's promised -- there's less room for misunderstanding. That's valuable when it comes to WLAN security, which has been fraught with misunderstanding for years. 802.11i may indeed be the redemption of the industry in terms of security, as many would like us to believe, but you have to take a "believe it when you see it" attitude.

Secondly, if these kinds of discussions with WLAN vendors don't seem to be going where you'd like them to go, then consider alternatives to 802.11i. These include WLAN security gateway appliances, WPA and even VPNs. Our online Wireless LAN Research Center is a place to learn more about some of these alternatives, described in articles such as this.

A healthy skepticism on 802.11i-and a paper and pen--could spare organizations from a lot of anguish this year.

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