Security

Security with Wireless LAN

As wireless LAN solutions are becoming ever more popular and their use ever more widespread, companies must ask themselves how they can protect their sensitive data from unauthorised access. Depending on the configuration and requirements for the individual WLAN, there is a range of security solutions that can be used in companies or by private users.

Wi-Fi certification

When buying wireless components, ensure that they have WiFi certification. This guarantees that the WLAN devices are compatible in terms of function, performance and security.

Encryption

Encrypted data transfer. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) was the first method of encrypting data during transfer. This technology was replaced by the much more secure Wi-Fi-Protected-Access (WPA) encryption. The gaps in the predecessor technology (WEP) were closed using the TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) and the MIC (Message Integrity Check) data integrity check.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Companies can guarantee the highest level of security using a VPN. A tunnel is set up between the VPN client and the VPN server and this is used to transfer the data in encrypted form by means of an Internet Protocol Security (IPSec). But this solution requires additional server hardware.

MAC Address Filtering

This is the simplest security measure and can also be implemented by private users at no great cost. You simply define statically which MAC addresses may and may not access the access point. But for companies this can only be a supplementary security activity.