Wireless networks give staff and customers the freedom to roam
staff are no longer tied to their desks and in a customer-facing
business such as a bank, wireless technology can make interaction
easier, as there is no barrier, such as a PC on a desk separating
the staff member from the customer.
However, wireless networks are inherently insecure. Who can
forget the highly publicised
one billion dollar lapse in security at US retailer TJX. In a
blog posting commenting on their major security breach, security
guru
Bruce Scheier, said, "It seems that the credit card information
was stolen by eavesdropping on wireless traffic at two Marshals
stores in Miami," adding, "Retail wireless networks collect and
transmit data via radio waves so information about purchases and
returns can be shared between cash registers and store computers.
Wireless transmissions can be intercepted by antennas, and
high-power models can sometimes intercept wireless traffic from
miles away."
Weak encryption was the main problem at TJX. If it had used
strong Wi-Fi encryption, customers' credit cards would have
remained secure. But why not prevent access to the network to
prevent eavesdropping altogether. This is the problem Meru Networks
has attempted to tackle.
Meru Networks has developed technology it says will protect
networks from eavesdroppers. Its RF Barrier product is an IEEE
802.11-based technology which meru says will proactively defend
wireless networks against eavesdroppers and "parking lot"
attackers, who attempt to record and observe network traffic from
outside a building's perimeter in order to steal sensitive and
valuable information.
RF Barrier uses
wireless local area network (Lan) technology to block the
radio-frequency (RF) signals from the corporate network as they
exit the building, without disrupting internal WLan operations.
This limits an attacker's ability to eavesdrop on data and perform
offline analysis.
RF Barrier is installed by mounting a Meru Networks wireless
access point along the inside perimeter of a building, and an
advanced external antenna outside the perimeter. RF Barrier
technology inspects the traffic in real-time to determine which
part belongs to the WLan (and is, therefore, designated as
sensitive) and uses the external antenna to block outbound traffic
at the RF layer. Would-be attackers are limited in their ability to
see useful packet information about the internal network.
It uses directional antennas and selective enforcement
technology, which Meru Networks claims does not impact wireless
signals within the building or from other networks. Internal
clients connect normally, with enterprise access points serving
them at full speed.
US fresh produce distributor,
Anthony Marano is using the
technology to protect the south side of its building, which is
adjacent to a carpark and busy motorway. The RF Barrier looks like
a standard wireless access point with an antenna that points
outwards, giving 180 degree of coverage.
The company's Nokia Wi-Fi smart phones handle sensitive voice
calls as well as confidential e-mails and contact information.
Chris Nowak, chief technology officer at Anthony Marano, said,
"With our warehouse adjacent to an interstate highway and other
major roads, no one is comfortable with blasting a Wi-Fi signal all
over the place."
By using RF Barrier he said the company has been able to draw
the border around the coverage area, "We can keep our
infrastructure tuned to maximum power without worrying about the
consequences of signal bleeding." As a result, he said, "RF Barrier
dramatically reduces the risk of parking lot-type security attacks
- and means we will not have to make excuses to management
later."
The technology is basically jamming RF signals, says Rob
Bamforth, principal analyst at Quocirca. Such technology has been
used in military applications, but as far as Bamforth knows, Meru
is the only company taking this approach for commercial users.