Category: Security

How many network administrators do you think would allow a complete stranger to walk into their wiring closet and plug in their notebook to their company's network? Not too many, I suspect. But that's what's happening to companies coast-to-coast. Well, not exactly. Strangers aren't plugging into networks, but they are attaching to networks using 802.11b...

Federal law enforcement officials may use a controversial surveillance technology to monitor e-mail and other text messages delivered through wireless devices, such as cell phones--a fact that has one telecommunications group concerned. Via [news.com.com]

With the deployment of wireless network access in the workplace, the requirement for a more enhanced security design emerges. Wireless technology offers a more accessible means of connectivity but does not address the security concerns involved with offering this less restrained service. In order to facilitate management of this network, maintain a secure network model,...

A group of researchers from Rice University and AT&T Labs have used off-the-shelf methods to carry out an attack on a known wireless encryption flaw -- to prove that it "could work in the real world." Via [cnn.com]

A new report dashes any remaining illusions that 802.11-based (Wi-Fi) wireless local-area networks are in any way secure. The paper, written by three of the world's foremost cryptographers, describes a devastating attack on the RC4 cipher, on which the WLAN wired-equivalent privacy (WEP) encryption scheme is based. Via [eetimes.com]

As more companies start to deploy wireless networking, important security aspects are often overlooked. Wireless networking was initially marketed towards home consumers and specialized applications, but was limited by low throughput speeds. As the technology matured, networking standards were introduced to ensure interoperability between vendors, and greater speeds were obtained. Driven by both the demands...

Not long ago, when wireless networking was new and rare, security was an afterthought. The reason? The scarcity of 802.11b cards acted as a form of back-handed security. If no one had an 802.11b card, outsiders couldn't very well scan your setup, right? Now, however, that's changed. Wireless gear is readily available--and cheap--so that almost...