| It may sound strange but is true that several | | | | that unless you manually reconfigure your |
| organisations, which have adopted Wireless | | | | wireless access points, your networks will be |
| networking, are open to severe security | | | | broadcasting data that is unencrypted.In the |
| breaches. Mostly the reasons are that | | | | old world of wired local area networks, the |
| organisations simply plug the access points | | | | architecture provides some inherent security. |
| and go live without bothering to change the | | | | Typically there is a network server and |
| default factory settings. Wireless local area | | | | multiple devices with an Ethernet protocol |
| networks are open to risk not because the | | | | adapter that connect to each other physically |
| systems are incapable but due to incorrect | | | | via a LAN backbone. If you are not physically |
| usage. The biggest problem lies with | | | | connected, you have no access to the |
| inadequate security standards and with poorly | | | | LAN.Compare it with the new wireless LAN |
| configured devices. For a start, most of the | | | | architecture. The LAN backbone of the wired |
| wireless base stations sold by suppliers come | | | | world is replaced with radio access points. |
| with the in-built security Wired Equivalent | | | | The Ethernet adapters in devices are replaced |
| Privacy (WEP) protocol turned off. This means | | | | with a radio card. |