Firms must have policies to secure wireless use

Organisations need formal security policies to govern the growing use of wireless technology, Gartner told users at a security conference earlier this month. Up to 70% of attacks on wireless local area networks in 2006 will result from misconfiguration of WLan access points and client software, the analyst firm predicted. It said security for WLans and personal digital assistants needs to be driven by updated policies that address the demands of the mobile workplace.

John Pescatore, vice-president at Gartner, said, "Whether hackers are able to enter a company's WLan through an unprotected access point or through a peer workstation, once they are associated with the network they will be difficult to detect because they may not be visible in or near the network site."

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