Wireless Defined

The wireless industry has evolved phenomenally over the past few
years. Wireless transmission (once the domain of amateur radio enthusiasts
and the military) is now a commonplace method of data communication
for cellular phones, wireless PDAs, text pagers, and, most important,
wireless LANs (WLANs).
As there are a number of divergent technologies for wireless networks
today (i.e., 802.11b, Bluetooth, etc.) most users standardize on one of
these for their corporate networking needs.
The purpose of this chapter is to take a look at the actual security
measures that a user must be mindful of in today’s business world.
There are so many methods and forms of hacker attacks to steal corporate
data that wireless measures designed for convenience can be
exceedingly harmful without actually taking the proper measures.
Wireless networks are supported by having several transceivers scattered
across the typical enterprise to blanket the corporate offices in a
web of wireless transmission devices called access points. Access points
(APs) are strategically placed in fixed locations throughout the company
offices to function in tandem like cells of a cell phone network. They
function together so that as the computer user moves from office to
office, he is still covered by the reception of these wireless network routing
devices.