WiFi security is a priority

Johannesburg, 11 Mar 2009

Public WiFi access and increasingly competitive home Internet rates have influenced the number of workers connecting remotely to offices.

According to Frost & Sullivan technical insights research analyst Yin Fern Ko, along with the increase in wireless access and mobile workers, security companies are putting weight into the development of security for mobile devices.

The large number of mobile devices in circulation has spurred an increase in the number of hacks to those devices. “It is estimated that more than 90% of laptops in use today are equipped with WiFi,” he explains.

Yin explains that businessmen now carry valuable company information on these devices, and yet firms still lack policies to govern how that information is protected. “Wireless network operators are often caught off guard and cannot detect and prevent these attacks. Additionally, the rapid advances in technology in the wireless domain hinder the development of wireless security protocols.”

Frost & Sullivan says a clear policy, along with basic security measures is, more often than not, sufficient for protecting wireless networks from the majority of issues. “They must be made to understand that it is the policy and not the technology itself that governs the security aspects of a wireless network.”

With the employee considered the biggest threat to security on any network, data on smartphones and laptops outside a company firewall needs to be protected, says the research firm.

“They often skirt security rules, leaving their entire organisation at the mercy of attackers. Hence, it is important for the companies to accord higher priority to employee education.”