Securing the Wireless Network of Your Small Business

So you have joined the revolution and set up a wireless network in your office. Congratulations! But along with the freedom that wireless brings comes responsibility — protecting your wireless network against intrusion. Wireless networks are great because they let you connect from anywhere in your office. But that same principle is what makes them vulnerable; hackers do not need to be physically connected (wired) to your network to access it.

Unsecured wireless LANs are easy targets for hackers, both over the Internet and via "wardriving." Wardrivers are hackers armed with laptops and scanner programs who drive around until they detect an unsecured wireless Ethernet connection. They can then log on and do most anything an authorized user could do, just as if they were sitting at the computer. They can, quite literally, snatch your information out of thin air. Think it couldn't happen to your business? Think again.

Snatching information is known as "packet sniffing," and can be used to devastating effect over wireless connections. If your wireless network is unsecured, determined hackers could have access to everything you send and receive over your network. Everything.