Wireless but not clueless
Box 3 | Security and encryption
Next time you access a WiFi hotspot, be careful: there might be WiFi sniffers about. Using simple tools, sniffers – or WiFi hackers – can detect WiFi networks and eavesdrop on the data being exchanged by WiFi users. They might be able to read your emails – a real invasion of privacy. They might even be able to capture the password you use to access your email account. They can probably also see what websites you visit: maybe that's not a problem but at the very least it's annoying to have someone reading over your shoulder.
The security of WiFi systems has always been a concern in the industry and steps are being taken to increase it. Some websites, particularly those that acquire sensitive information like your credit card details, are protected by SSL, which stands for secure sockets layer, or TLS (transport layer security), which are protocols for transmitting private information. They use a cryptographic system involving the use of two keys to encrypt data - a public key known to everyone and a private or secret key known only to the recipient of the message. There are also virtual private networks (VPNs), which are private communications networks often used within a company or by several companies or organisations to communicate confidentially over the internet. Users can take many other precautions to protect against eavesdroppers and other WiFi security threats. The best protection is knowledge: understand the risks you are taking with your data and take steps to minimise them.
Boxes
Box 1. Hotspots and meshes
Box 2. Remote sensors and their applications
Box 4. Increasing speed
Box 5. Competition
Related sites
Wi-Fi security issues up close
(Wi-Fi Planet)
Wi-Fi hotspot security: The issues
(Wi-Fi Planet)
Wi-Fi security still a major issue
(Wi-Fi Planet)
Mathematical trick counters wireless fraud (New Scientist, 20 February 2005)
Wireless boom is hackers' heaven (New Scientist, 22 January 2005)
Posted January 2007.