* A list of some routine steps for securing a WLAN
Not long ago, the complaint heard about wireless LAN security was that there wasn’t enough of it. Now it seems there may be too much.
Network executives today face a bewildering number of approaches to solve what’s been a consistent hot-button issue for them. As a result, once users get past some very basic recommendations, best practices in WLAN security hinge on your specific enterprise security needs.
Wireless experts and net managers can quickly run off a basic set of routine steps to help lock up wireless LANs. These typically include:
* Turning on basic Wired Equivalent Privacy encryption for all access points.
* Create a list of MAC addresses that are allowed to access the WLAN.
* Use a dynamic encryption key exchange method as implemented by various security vendors.
* Keep software, and patches, on access points and clients up to date.
* Create access point passwords that can’t be easily guessed.
* Change the Service Set Identifier on the access point, and block the SSID broadcast feature.
* Minimize radio wave leakage outside your building through access point placement and antenna selection.
Some users welcome the possible end of what one called “frankenparts” – cobbling together a security architecture and a set of best practices based on products from several vendors. But others see the multiplicity of choices as a benefit. The numerous choices compel a systematic security approach that uses existing resources while being flexible enough to meet new standards.
For more on this story see: https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2003/0804specialfocus.html
