Ensuring Wireless Network Security

Wireless LANs, or WLANs, have some real business benefits. But at the same time, they can be a huge source of aggravation, even if you’re the most experienced network security manager.

As an extension of wired networks, WLANs can serve as an easy entry point for hackers looking worm their way into corporate network and laptops. Even with a VPN in place, you won’t be safe. Improperly configured parameters can easily be exploited. Tenants of nearby or adjacent offices can accidentally (or maliciously) connect to your network, unknown to you. And rogue wireless devices can create gaping security holes in your network, even if you don’t have WLANs deployed.

What steps should you take?
The Network Chemistry Wireless Intrusion Protection System, RFprotect, helps enterprises detect and prevent security risks. The solution takes care of the job by performing comprehensive monitoring for rogues, vulnerabilities, and intrusions.

Key Features
Whether you’re an IT security manager or operator, RFprotect provides vital tools to ensure your WLAN remains secure:

Rogue Device Detection Tools

• Real-time alerts notify you immediately when rogues appear in your air space
• RF-based monitoring accurately detects all types of rogue wireless devices - rogue APs, clients, and bridges, softAPs (on laptops), and ad-hoc networks - on all 802.11 frequencies
• Auto-discovery lets you tell the difference between authorized, unauthorized, and "friendly" stations

Vulnerability Assessment Tools

• Scanning mechanisms identify potential security holes that open your network to attack
• Automatically detect weaknesses on laptops and PDAs, closing holes that hackers will exploit on your end devices
• Create custom signature rules to enforce security policies tailored to your environment

Intrusion Detection Tools

• Monitoring mechanisms search for probes and network discovery activities (such as war drivers) that are often the first step in a wireless attack
• Scanning capabilities detects specific wireless attacks - such as impersonation, surveillance, and denial of services (DoS) attacks - and immediately alerts you when suspicious activity is detected
• Real-time dashboard of current wireless activity so you can accurately gauge threats and take appropriate action (such as capture and decode transmissions from a hacker’s wireless station)

Usage Audit Tools

• Automatically discovers all wireless AP and client stations, determines which clients are associating with which APs, and lets you know how activity changes over time
• Detects malicious and other problem associations, such as an employee’s laptop accidentally associating with the neighboring tenant’s AP or vice versa
• Logging tools can be used for acceptable use and/or forensic analysis such as tracking wireless hacker footprints, station connection status, activity patterns, and associations