Wireless Network Security Checklist, page 3

Middle of the Road Security
Middle of the Road security means implementing the No-Brainer security measures, plus taking a few additional steps.

You should consider using some of the middling security measures described in this section if you have some security concerns, and are prepared to take some trouble over security, but still don’t want to go overboard.

These measures include the following:

• Plan to change your Open System WEP or WPA-PSK encryption key regularly, perhaps once every week.

• Engage MAC filtering. For relatively small networks MAC filtering is an absolutely excellent, and relatively painless, way to enforce good security (and least in terms of accessing your wireless network).

• Use the DHCP settings in your router (or access point/router combination) to limit the number of IPs that can be used in your network to the actual number of devices that you simultaneously connected to the network.

Security is a Real Concern
If security is a real concern, should you should implement the no-brainer and middle of the road security measures, and consider taking some additional steps.

These security measures are intended for use with networks that truly have confidential and proprietary information to protect and are willing to go to considerable trouble and expense. You should realize that protection at this level is not a one-shot affair: You have to constantly be on the lookout for new vulnerabilities. You’ll need to keep surveying your wireless site, keep changing your passwords, and generally just keep on your toes. Expect these security measures to take time and money, be trouble to maintain properly, and possibly to slow your network down!

If you run your own business, as I do, when people ask about your job description, you might well say “Chief Bottle Washer.” If you intent to deploy red-alert security on a wireless network, to that job title you could well add “Network Administrator” and “Wireless Security Expert.”

Note: No wireless network can ever be completely secure. Keep any truly confidential information off a wireless network.

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