Assessing Wireless LAN Security Strategies and Their Efficacy

Is it possible to deploy a secure wireless LAN with technology available today? That question preys on the minds of IT executives who are tempted to deploy enterprise WLANs, but are hesitant because of security concerns. . . . Is it possible to deploy a secure wireless LAN with technology available today? That question preys on the minds of IT executives who are tempted to deploy enterprise WLANs, but are hesitant because of security concerns.

So we assembled 23 wireless products from 17 vendors and ran them through a battery of tests aimed at getting the answer.

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is very weak in many products, and we don't recommend using it other than in very specialized cases. WEP's successor, Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) has flaws but provides solid security when combined with 802.1X authentication and deployed carefully. Ultimately, 802.11i, the standard that replaces WEP and WPA, will provide all the tools needed to protect WLANs.

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