Products supporting a new standard designed to ease the
deployment of wireless networks and encourage their use within
smaller businesses are expected to be available next month,
according to
industry body the Wi-Fi Alliance.
More than 25 products, including phones, have been certified
against the
Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) standard.
The WPS specification was developed by Wi-Fi Alliance member
companies to provide an industry-standard approach to ease the set
up of Wi-Fi networks and build confidence in wireless
networking.
"Wi-Fi has quickly become one of the most pervasive wireless
technologies, but users have told us they want it to be easier to
set up and protect," said Wi-Fi Alliance managing director Frank
Hanzlik. "WPS halves the number of user steps required to set up a
network, enabling Wi-Fi to be more easily installed across a range
of consumer devices."
The security is based on push-button or Pin entry
authentication. Users push a button on the access point and the
client device to exchange the encryption key. With a Pin, users
enter a four-digit code generated by the client device to connect
to the network.
Later versions of the standard will support near-field
communications, where devices are held at close range to carry out
a key exchange. USB support will enable a memory stick to be
inserted into a PC and then inserted into associated client devices
to connect them to the network.
Wireless encryption is a major problem for security
professionals. Gartner research director Rachna Ahlawat said that
despite
Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (a class of systems created by the
Wi-Fi Alliance to secure Wi-Fi networks) being mandatory in
certifications since March 2006, users still had fears about the
security of using wireless devices.
Gartner research indicates that over the next three years 90% of
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth security incidents will be the result of
misconfigured systems. Ahlawat said that organisations needed to
understand how new technologies and business practices increase the
risks of using wireless technologies.
Wi-Fi Alliance website
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