Wireless security: The enemy is us

In a perfect world of wireless security, no data ever lies exposed on the disks of mobile clients. There's never a possibility of rogue access points (AP) hijacking critical log-in data. All wireless datagrams are encrypted to stymie those sniffing sessions out of thin air. This perfect world evaporates with users, the weak link in wireless security. "The biggest problem with securing mobile devices is the behavior of the end users," said Michael Disabato, vice president and service director of the Burton Group, a wireless security industry analyst company in Midvale, Utah.

IT needs to analyze wireless vulnerabilities and threats "just like any other type of security," Disabato said, starting with users and their mobile devices. IT needs to start planning for working outside the corporate firewall," he said, adding that the old "M&M security model," with a hard exterior and soft interior, "is dead and gone."

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