Wireless and Bluetooth - Monday, July 28, 2008 12:48 - 0 Comments

Wireless security encryption

What are the main industry standard encryptions for Wireless access

Wireless local area networks, or WLANs, provides access to various forms of connection through the 802.11 standards.  In design, the security is available using this method as would be expected from from a wired LAN network.  Once data has transferred from a wireless to the LAN, this holds true, but encryption methods had to be devised to allow secure communication between the end-device and the distribution hub of the network.

To accomplish this, two standards were developed, the WEP, also known as Wireless Equivalent Privacy, and Wi-Fi Protected Access, or WPA.  of the two, WEP is more commonly adhered to, although WPA is gaining in popularity.  WPA integrates an encryption method into basic communications with the host, which establishes a direct, secure link between to points.  This is a major improvement over individual devices negotiating, or users exchanging keys, as it eliminates a vulnerable gap in existing encryptions methods.

If you are adding wireless capabilities to a network, or designing a brand new network around today’s technology, WPA is the most likely route to follow.  It provides greater security and connectivity, and is a welcome complement to the upcoming release of 802.11n, and update to the standard wireless protocol which is due to be finalized late this year.  Wireless devices may also enter the network via VPN, or Virtual Private Networking, which allows remote devices to be accessed just as though they were connected via hard wiring, and this integrates yet another level of security.  VPN generally incorporates the IPSec set of protocols to provide IP layer security.  Most data being transferred into or out of a network is being carefully monitored, and various methods of encryption are used for different purposes.  For overall wireless connectivity, WPA is the best course of action.

Article written by MyComputerAid.com