WPA isn't enough to keep Wi-Fi networks safe

By Jim Rendon
SearchNetworking.com
March 10, 2004

According to a top Gartner analyst, when companies are developing their wireless security strategies, they need to consider far more than whether to deploy Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) or other out-of-the-box security fixes.

Speaking at the Gartner Wireless and Mobile Summit 2004, John Pescatore, a vice president at the Stamford, Conn.-based research firm, urged businesses to consider security ramifications from the time they begin a wireless project with a site survey, to the way they manage a system once it is deployed.

Pescatore said the improved encryption that WPA offers over its predecessor, Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is helpful, but there are many more factors for businesses to consider. For example, it may be easy for network managers to assume that a wireless signal radiates from an access point for the same distance in all directions -- but that is rarely the case. Full story:  Search Networking