printer friendly version

Mobility - a security conundrum?

The security challenges of wireless communications can be effectively overcome when existing security standards are implemented.

Mobility is no longer a luxury but an entrenched part of everyday living. However, with the proliferation of wireless and mobile technologies and devices have come the resultant security challenges that have led to some corporates making the call to opt for safer fixed-line infrastructures as opposed to exposing their information to a mobile world.

And with good reason. The reality is if mobile security is not implemented, considerable risk is posed to organisations’ valuable information assets, particularly when it can be breached wirelessly.

Fortunately, these challenges can be overcome quite effectively. With the growth of wireless and mobile technologies and standards, the resultant advances in security have been developed. Today, there are a myriad of security options available, tailor made to most environments, be it large corporates or a small home office.

The reality is we can harness the power that comes with wireless and mobile technology if we know how to protect this power.

In the case of corporates, virtual private networks (VPNs), and more particularly mobile VPNs, have become a popular and effective mechanism of providing both employees and partners’ secure (mobile) access to company networks. VPNs provide both network authentication and encryption using IPsec (IP Security) or SSL security.

In the case of mobile VPN, IPsec and SSL all employ authentication and encryption technologies to protect networks from unauthorised users and to secure data transmissions to and from devices, but they behave differently in wireless conditions.

In the case of mobile VPNs, it is specifically designed to address the challenges associated with mobile computing such as wireless security, coverage gaps, roaming performance and handheld device support.

The technology integrates standards-based authentication and encryption technologies to secure data transmissions to and from devices and to protect networks from unauthorised users. Key to mobile VPNs’ design is the ability to provide access solutions for users on the move and require secure access to information and applications over a variety of wired and wireless networks.

Indeed, with mobile VPNs users roam easily and securely across IP-based networks and in and out of wireless coverage areas without losing application sessions or dropping the secure VPN session.

The IPsec VPN technology is seen as a more traditional choice for implementing VPN security on corporate networks and operates at the layer 3 (network layer) of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model. It is a commonly used over IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) and a ‘standard option’ on IPv6 (version 6).

IPsec typically required a third party to establish an encrypted tunnel; however, operating systems (OS) such as Vista now feature natively built-in IPsec which greatly simplifies encryption. This in turn means you do not require a third party client to log onto your backbone, the tools are there and allow organisations to connect securely.

SSL on the other hand relies on a Web browser instead of custom VPN clients to log onto the private network and therefore requires no third-party assistance. By utilising the SSL network protocols built into standard Web browsers and Web servers, SSL VPNs are intended to be cheaper to set up and maintain than IPsec VPNs.

Numerous organisations such as financial institutions also fortify their VPNs, be it mobile or SSL-based, with a one-time password token (OPT) which offers an additional layer of authentication. Each time a users logs on, he or she is not only asked for their username and password but also the OPT which is sent to them securely or generated via a bank-issued USB dongle.

This quite obviously improves mobile and wireless security as only the authorised users, in possession of the OPT can access bank accounts and other e-commerce sites.

Generally, industry has come a long way in providing corporates and individual users with the security they require to communicate wirelessly. However, the key is to employ these technologies – without it your infrastructure will undoubtedly remain vulnerable.

Share this article:

Further reading: