Wired Equivalent Privacy: Unsafe at any Key Length

RNCOS: The speed with which wireless LANs are being deployed reveals the inherent benefits of the technology. However, most wireless deployments suffer absence of security. Experts looking at the deficiencies of the technology believe that organizations should not deploy it as yet. This clearly shows that LAN deployment has not reached its potential.

In spite of its deficiencies wireless LAN are continuing to be installed by organizations, IT departments in large enterprises as well as individuals. A part of the responsibility of lack of secured LAN system lies with most organizations, which simply haven’t put enough effort into installing the required security to the wireless LANs. Organizations began to consider Internet security seriously only after there had been highly visible and financially eroding hacker attacks. In the same way when wireless disasters in LAN systems occur, will organizations think about change and take wireless security more seriously.

While it is true that a number of inherent security problems prevail with the wireless 802.11 technology but there still are many direct measures that can be adapted to lessen their severity. As with introduction of many new technologies the ideal way is to first identify and recognize the problems and then to entrust to the ones, which can be reasonably solved in the various environments.

The total revenue from wireless LAN security all over the World to be around $1.28 billion for Q1 in 2 006, which should reach $6.6 billion by 2008.

The North American region facing recent attacks on important business establishments has decided to deploy more secured wireless LAN at these establishments. Arguably that the region will continue to generate more markets through 2004 to 2008 with accounted revenue of 63% is predicted in the report. Wireless LAN Security – A Industry Outlook Publ 20060329