Wireless Vulnerabilities Present Enterprise-Wide Threats, Expert Says
Wireless is the greatest threat to corporate networks since the emergence of the Internet, AirPatrol CEO says
APRIL 28, 2008 | 5:40 PM
By Tim Wilson
Site Editor, Dark Reading
LAS VEGAS -- Interop/CSI SX Conference -- Wireless vulnerabilities in corporate environments are creating as great a threat now as the Internet did in its early days, a security expert said here today.
In a session at the Computer Security Institute's CSI CX conference, which is being held concurrently with Interop here, AirPatrol CEO Nicholas Miller said the rapid growth of wireless networking has increased the threat of wireless vulnerabilities to an unprecedented level.
"The problem is that wireless vulnerabilities don't just expose the user who's unaware of them, but the whole corporate network the user is attached to."
"I can go out in a car and sit in a parking lot with a wireless router and gain access to an amazing variety of systems," Miller said. "It's really a little bit scary."
In an effort to save money and reduce infrastructure, many companies are moving toward a wireless infrastructure, which puts their networks at a greater risk than ever, Miller says. Yet many of the old vulnerabilities that existed in the wireless environment still have not been resolved, he observed.
"We think the best approach is to attack the problem in the reverse way that they're currently doing, which is to put in a wireless network and then add a security solution," Miller said. "What we think they should do is deploy a wireless security system first, and then you could literally go out and buy the access points at Best Buy."
"What we're really saying is that the emperor's got no clothes. You don't need all of that complex wireless technology if you have a wireless threat management system in place with encryption and security."
Wireless infrastructure vendors offer some security capabilities, "but they are really looking for rogue access points, which is a tiny issue compared to the total problem associated with laptop security," he said. "You really need to look at the entire network -- you need to secure the endpoints."
The problem with most wireless technologies is that they don't account for the end user's location, Miller said. "All of a sudden people can have access to the network as if they were in the building, which is why we need location-based access in wireless. Any wireless product you're looking for should have that capability. If a hacker wants to break into the network, they should have to break into the building."
AirPatrol is working with CheckPoint to block wireless access from unauthorized access points via the firewall, Miller said. "We're blocking traffic at the edge of the network using CheckPoint firewalls, which is a new way to use the firewall. We're also working with a very large switch vendor to see this sort of access control at the switch level."
To be effective, a location-based wireless security system should be able to deliver accuracy within 10 feet of the user's location, Miller said. "Ten feet tells you it's Frank in accounting. Thirty feet tells you it's in the building."
Source
Showing posts with label wireless. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wireless. Show all posts
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Know what's happening in your wireless network?
Network Scanning: Find Out What’s Really on Your Wireless Network
By John Edwards
If you've never used a wireless network scanner, you may be surprised by what it can tell you about your network and the data that lies within its reach.
A growing number of businesses are deploying 802.11 wireless networks for both internal use and public access. Regardless of the network's purpose and configuration, a wireless network scanner is necessary for assuring its continued operation and security. Popular open-source wifi network scanners include NetStumbler and Kismet. These products, and most other network scanners, can help you learn the following things about your wireless network.
Overall Vulnerability: Network scanners are often used in conjunction with a laptop or other portable computer to sniff out wireless networks from a moving vehicle — a practice known as wardriving. Performing the same activity while strolling down a street or through a business site is called warwalking. There's also warbiking, warskating and probably war-go-karting happening as well. In any event, while you yourself may never use a network scanner for wardriving or similar activities, you can be certain that other people are doing so in order to test your network's availability, size and configuration, as well as its potential vulnerability.
NetStumbler and some other network scanners work actively, sending messages that are designed to probe any encountered access point for information, such as its SSID (service set identifier), MAC (machine access code) numbers and the name of the network it's connected to. If your network is secure, you have nothing to worry about. If, on the other hand, you suspect that your network may be vulnerable to intruders through the lack of security measures, you may want to perform your own wardrive in order to check for potential soft spots (such as improperly configured access points that allow unrestricted network access or those that spew too much identification information). Vendors such as AirMagnet Inc. and Aruba Networks Inc. offer technologies that are designed to lock down wireless networks.
The Presence of Rogue Access Points: This is perhaps the most useful network-scanner application. A rouge access point is an access point that exists without permission of the wireless network's administrator. Rogue access points are often installed by employees to create stealth wireless networks that circumvent security measures installed on the company wireless network. A network scanner lets you sniff out, pinpoint and eradicate unauthorized access points.
Criminals can also install a rogue access point within the range of a company wireless network to hijack the connections of legitimate users. The crooks can then use the connections to eavesdrop on transmitted information and potentially even gain entry to the company's main internal network.
Hardware Problems: A network scanner is indispensable for checking the state of wireless network hardware, particularly access points. By measuring signal strength, the scanner can help you quickly identify access points that are inoperative or performing poorly.
The Location of Weak and Dead Spots: Network coverage can be impaired by walls, trees and a variety of other man-made and natural objects. A network scanner can help you locate poor coverage areas, which can then be bolstered with additional access points.
The Sources of Wireless Interference: Wireless networks are subject to interference from neighboring 802.11 installations, as well as from a variety of consumer and business technologies, including cordless phones, motors and various types of industrial equipment. By showing signal strength as you move about, a network scanner can help you track down interference sources that generate signals on the same frequency as the wireless network.
Improperly Aimed Directional Antennas Used for Long-Haul Connections: Many companies use point-to-point wireless connections to link together 802.11 hotspots across a business campus or other geographical site. Aiming directional antennas requires precise adjustments to ensure continuous connectivity and maximum performance. By measuring signal strength, a network scanner makes antenna aiming a faster, more exact and less troublesome task.
Source: ITSecurity
By John Edwards
If you've never used a wireless network scanner, you may be surprised by what it can tell you about your network and the data that lies within its reach.
A growing number of businesses are deploying 802.11 wireless networks for both internal use and public access. Regardless of the network's purpose and configuration, a wireless network scanner is necessary for assuring its continued operation and security. Popular open-source wifi network scanners include NetStumbler and Kismet. These products, and most other network scanners, can help you learn the following things about your wireless network.
Overall Vulnerability: Network scanners are often used in conjunction with a laptop or other portable computer to sniff out wireless networks from a moving vehicle — a practice known as wardriving. Performing the same activity while strolling down a street or through a business site is called warwalking. There's also warbiking, warskating and probably war-go-karting happening as well. In any event, while you yourself may never use a network scanner for wardriving or similar activities, you can be certain that other people are doing so in order to test your network's availability, size and configuration, as well as its potential vulnerability.
NetStumbler and some other network scanners work actively, sending messages that are designed to probe any encountered access point for information, such as its SSID (service set identifier), MAC (machine access code) numbers and the name of the network it's connected to. If your network is secure, you have nothing to worry about. If, on the other hand, you suspect that your network may be vulnerable to intruders through the lack of security measures, you may want to perform your own wardrive in order to check for potential soft spots (such as improperly configured access points that allow unrestricted network access or those that spew too much identification information). Vendors such as AirMagnet Inc. and Aruba Networks Inc. offer technologies that are designed to lock down wireless networks.
The Presence of Rogue Access Points: This is perhaps the most useful network-scanner application. A rouge access point is an access point that exists without permission of the wireless network's administrator. Rogue access points are often installed by employees to create stealth wireless networks that circumvent security measures installed on the company wireless network. A network scanner lets you sniff out, pinpoint and eradicate unauthorized access points.
Criminals can also install a rogue access point within the range of a company wireless network to hijack the connections of legitimate users. The crooks can then use the connections to eavesdrop on transmitted information and potentially even gain entry to the company's main internal network.
Hardware Problems: A network scanner is indispensable for checking the state of wireless network hardware, particularly access points. By measuring signal strength, the scanner can help you quickly identify access points that are inoperative or performing poorly.
The Location of Weak and Dead Spots: Network coverage can be impaired by walls, trees and a variety of other man-made and natural objects. A network scanner can help you locate poor coverage areas, which can then be bolstered with additional access points.
The Sources of Wireless Interference: Wireless networks are subject to interference from neighboring 802.11 installations, as well as from a variety of consumer and business technologies, including cordless phones, motors and various types of industrial equipment. By showing signal strength as you move about, a network scanner can help you track down interference sources that generate signals on the same frequency as the wireless network.
Improperly Aimed Directional Antennas Used for Long-Haul Connections: Many companies use point-to-point wireless connections to link together 802.11 hotspots across a business campus or other geographical site. Aiming directional antennas requires precise adjustments to ensure continuous connectivity and maximum performance. By measuring signal strength, a network scanner makes antenna aiming a faster, more exact and less troublesome task.
Source: ITSecurity
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