In
this Issue:
- Perspective: A Secure Wireless Network More Important than Ever
- Coming this Month
- January 2008 Articles in Print-Friendly Format
- Share Your Security Tips and Get $100
- The Security Pro VIP Forum
Perspective: A
Secure Wireless Network
More Important than Ever
More functions are getting packed into our wireless devices all the time, which makes the devices ever more useful and important to us. Of course that also means that protecting the devices and the communications between them and the servers with which they interact becomes more important too. I was reminded of that by a couple of reports I read recently.
In the Security UPDATE "In Focus" commentary "What to Expect in 2008," January 9, 2008, Mark Edwards cites wireless networks as being ripe for widespread attacks because of the combination of many wireless networks being open for anyone to use and the existence of vulnerabilities in wireless routers.
AirMagnet, a provider of wireless network performance and security solutions, said in a set of wireless predictions for 2008 that "Over the next year, enterprises will understand that WEP is obsolete—better measures must be taken to ensure effective wireless network security."
If you've taken steps to secure your wireless network, that’s great. But if you're still counting on Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) or you think your network might have other weaknesses, you can find help for moving to Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and for taking other wireless network security measures in the articles listed below.
Security Pro VIP articles:
Reaping
the Benefits of WPA and PEAP, June 2006
Follow these
detailed instructions to secure your wireless LAN with this powerful
combination of protocols.
3
Ways to Rein in Your Wireless Signals, April 2006
Foil
intruders by containing your wireless Access Point’s (AP’s) radio waves.
Map
Out Your Wireless-Security Audits, May 2005
A few
hardware and software tools let you put together a visual representation
of the wireless networks in your area.
Security UPDATE “In Focus” commentaries:
Tweaking
Wi-Fi APs for Better Security, September 21, 2005
Third-party firmware for APs lets you manage transmission
output power and shape the pattern and direction of signal transmission.
Find out how AP firmware works in this introductory article, then click
the following firmware names to learn more about these products: DD-WRT, OpenWRT, Talisman,
and Thibor.
Windows IT Pro articles:
Windows
Vista’s Wireless Security, December 2007
Learn about
Vista’s new features for protecting your wireless clients.
Enterprise
Wireless Routers, April 25, 2007
This Buyer’s Guide lets
you compare wireless routers and their security features.
Wireless-G:
Faster, Cheaper, More Secure, September 24, 2003
An
introduction to the 802.11g standard.
Top
10: Tips for Wireless Security, July 2003
This article
might be a little dated but still contains some good tips for protecting
your wireless LAN from 802.11b's deficiencies.
—Renee Munshi, Security Pro VIP Editor
Coming this Month
"Fortify
Remote-Server Security" by Jan De Clercq
Attacks on
branch-office domain controllers can spread to your entire forest.
Read-only DCs help Windows Server 2008 reduce that risk by eliminating
multimaster replication, limiting password caching, and restricting the
reach of local administrators.
This article is now live on the Web.
"Office
2007's Security Features in a Legacy Office Environment" by Russell
Smith
Use Microsoft Office Isolated Conversion Environment
(MOICE) to bring the more secure Office 2007 file formats to earlier
Office versions. And learn about Office 2007's File Block, encryption, and
authentication features.
Coming February 14.
Toolbox:
"Create a Live CD on a Bootable USB Flash Drive" by Jeff
Fellinge
Create a USB 2.0 flash drive that boots a Live CD
distro—it's portable, fast, and easy to use.
Coming February
21.
Access
Denied
Randy Franklin Smith answers your Windows security
questions.
Coming February 28.
January 2008 Articles in Print-Friendly Format
If you're someone who prefers your newsletters in printed form, look in this .zip file. It contains all the security articles posted on the Security Pro VIP Web site in January in one .pdf file, and it includes some accompanying code. Print the .pdf and enjoy!
Share Your Security Tips and Get $100
Share your security-related tips, comments, or problems and solutions in Security Pro VIP's Reader to Reader column. Email your contributions to [email protected]. If we print your submission, you'll get $100. We edit submissions for style, grammar, and length.
The Security Pro VIP Forum
The Security Pro VIP forum is your place to ask questions about security topics and about articles posted on the Security Pro VIP Web site and to get answers from other forum members, including Orin Thomas, forum moderator, and article authors. Let's talk!
