Network Infrastructure Security Solution

Wireless Technology and Standards::::: Wireless devices communicate through radio transmissions, without physical connections and without network or peripheral cabling. Wireless systems include local area networks, personal networks, cell phones, and devices such as wireless headphones, microphones, and other devices that do not process or store information. Other wireless devices being widely used include infrared (IR) devices such as remote controls, cordless computer keybo...ards, mouse devices, and wireless hi-fi stereo headsets, all of which require a direct line of sight between the transmitter and the receiver. Two standards for wireless technologies are discussed in NIST SP 800-48. One is the IEEE 802.11 group of standards for WLANs, which were developed by a voluntary industry standards committee. The IEEE 802.11 standards provide specifications for high-speed networks that support most of today’s applications. The Bluetooth standard, which was developed by a computer and communications industry consortium, specifies how mobile phones, computers, and PDAs interconnect with each other, with home and business phones, and with computers using short-range wireless connections. As wireless technology evolves, new devices are being developed to provide more features, functions, portability and ease of use. Mobile phones can provide multiple services including voice, email, text messaging, paging, web access, and voice recognition services. Newer mobile phones incorporate PDA, wireless Internet, email, and global positioning system (GPS) capabilities.

Recommendations for Secure Wireless Networks++++ The trends in use of information technology point to increased implementation of wireless communications networks and use of wireless devices. Each new development will present new security risks, which must be addressed to ensure that critical assets remain protected. Actions that organizations should take to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all systems and information include: Assess risks, test and... evaluate system security controls for wireless networks more frequently than for other networks and systems. Maintaining secure wireless networks is an ongoing process that requires greater effort than that required for other networks and systems. Steps that can be taken to improve the management of wireless networks include: + Maintain a full understanding of the topology of the wireless network. + Label and keep inventories of the fielded wireless and handheld devices. + Create backups of data frequently. + Perform periodic security testing and assessment of the wireless network. + Perform ongoing, randomly timed security audits to monitor and track wireless and handheld devices. + Apply patches and security enhancements. + Monitor the wireless industry for changes to standards that enhance security features and for the release of new products. + Monitor wireless technology for new threats and vulnerabilities.

Recommendations for Secure Wireless Networks::-- The trends in use of information technology point to increased implementation of wireless communications networks and use of wireless devices. Each new development will present new security risks, which must be addressed to ensure that critical assets remain protected. Actions that organizations should take to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all systems and information include: Assess risks, test an...d evaluate system security controls for wireless networks more frequently than for other networks and systems. Maintaining secure wireless networks is an ongoing process that requires greater effort than that required for other networks and systems. Steps that can be taken to improve the management of wireless networks include: # Maintain a full understanding of the topology of the wireless network. # Label and keep inventories of the fielded wireless and handheld devices. # Create backups of data frequently. # Perform periodic security testing and assessment of the wireless network. # Perform ongoing, randomly timed security audits to monitor and track wireless and handheld devices. # Apply patches and security enhancements. # Monitor the wireless industry for changes to standards that enhance security features and for the release of new products. # Monitor wireless technology for new threats and vulnerabilities.

Tips for Securing your Wireless Network:- There are a numbers of things you can keep in mind which will help to lessen the likeliness of a breach of security in your wireless network. I have compiled a list of tips that I think will be of use to anyone who has a wireless network. * As should be the case with a wired network, only share what is needed. Don’t share entire partitions, share folders instead. Also, depending on the level of confidentiality, you should always passw...ord protect anything that is shared using an archive tool. *If you’ve implemented the WEP authentication method, be sure to use the Shared Key method, every so often change your WEP keys and make them as difficult as possible. *Be sure to secure your wireless access point with a strong password; don’t just leave the default one in place! *Disable access point administration via wireless clients. This means that any changes to the access point configuration would have to be done from a machine attached to the wired network. *On smaller networks, use MAC address filtering as an added means of security. Don’t rely on this feature alone but use it in conjunction with another security method. *Change the default SSID to something that is understandable to you but not to outsiders. This will make it slightly more difficult for people to connect to your network. Be sure to change it to something that won’t give too much information away about your network. *Disable SSID broadcasting. This feature is meant to make it easier for clients to connect to the network because the network name can be automatically discovered by the client operating system. This means anyone in range of your access point will automatically know your network exists. *If you need wireless access in your building alone, try putting the access point in the center of the building to decrease the chance of a wardriver being in range of your signal. *If you’re willing to see a dip in speed then using a VPN would be the more secure option for a wireless network. This is fairly quick and easy to setup and has great benefits, as opposed to other means of security.