Security issues with Wi-Fi?
2009-10-22
As with many other areas of IT, security is a concern with Wi-Fi and the devices involved in this sphere. Now, there could be issues with a new standard designed to make it easier for devices to connect to one another, it has been suggested.
The Wi-Fi Alliance has revealed it is near to finishing a new specification to allow Wi-Fi devices to connect to each other without having to join a traditional home, office or hotspot network. It anticipates that certification for this new specification will start in the middle of next year.
Any Wi-Fi device will be able to implement it, including mobile phones, cameras and printers as well as laptops, keyboards and headphones. Equipment that is Wi-Fi Certified will be able to make a one-to-one connection, or a group of several devices will be enabled to connect simultaneously. Products that gain certification will be designated Wi-Fi Certified Wi-Fi Direct.
Fortify Software has now warned that the proposed Wi-Fi Direct standard could pose a security threat to firms with Wi-Fi networks. Richard Kirk, Fortify's European director, admitted that most firms have brought in defences against attacks and unauthorised access to their wireless networks, which could lead to a data breach.
"Unless a portable device [...] has got robust security on board, as well as applications that are secure against hacking, then an unauthorised person could establish a peer-to-peer connection directly and launch an internal attack on the company's network," he explained.
Editor of Techworld John Dunn also has his reservations about the security of Wi-Fi connections. He said that in terms of security, Wi-Fi is something of a "compromise". This is down to the fact that it can be technically quite hard to get to grips with what it is doing when it is making a connection.
He added that point of sale is a very pertinent area for wireless, saying that it would need to have encryption as a standard and would be required to be compliant with security.
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