Wireless Connectivity

Wi-Fi Predators Attack Hot Spots Businesses Don`t Know They Have

Written by Anonymous on 12:03 AM

BOSTON—Any company could have wireless networks nobody knows about—along with the network security holes those networks bring.

That was one point raised by Amit Sinha, chief technology officer of wireless security vendor AirDefense, in his March 26 presentation, "War of the Airwaves: Next-Generation Risks and Defenses—What Hackers Know That You Don't" at the SecureWorld Expo here.

"A contractor or auditor might set up their own Access point, without any security, providing backdoor access to the network that bypasses any firewall or other edge security you have in place," Sinha pointed out.

Wired networks have always had a secure perimeter, that is, some form of physical security where the internal network connected to the external network, Sinha said. But when with the introduction of wireless networking, the notion of a physical perimeter goes away, he said, since RF (the wireless radio frequency signal) can be picked up outside the premises.

Also, Sinha said, access points can leak information. Many multicast and broadcast protocols were designed to operate within a trusted network environment. Even if the networks are encrypted, a lot of information can still leak out, "especially if you implement your wireless networks as transparent bridges," he said.

In his presentation, Sinha showed the audience some of the types of wireless attacks that have been seen over the past several years, and talked about what midmarket and enterprise companies can do to mitigate some of these wireless threats.

To illustrate the availability of unsecured 802.11 wireless networks, Sinha brought up a mashup of the Wireless Geographic Logging Engine, or Wigle.net, which gives GPS coordinates for over 13 million wireless networks, and a Google Earth map for a location in Washington where he had recently been that, at least in theory, had no wireless, he said. The resulting display showed many wireless networks in the vicinity, including many without security.

The world's most popular hot spots are Linksys boxes running default settings—channel 6—with no WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), Sinha said. Another popular hot spot is HPSETUP, for printers. While many banks, for example, think they have no wireless networks, their printers are in fact wireless, meaning that wireless eavesdroppers could download "entire PostScript buffer[s]" of documents that have been printed, he said.

Another interesting network found with the Wigle.net/Google Earth mashup is Tsunami, the default SSID (service set identifier)—meaning the ID for the particular 802.11 wireless LAN to which a user wants to attach—for a Cisco device, Sinha said. "And since home users don't buy enterprise access points, these are companies [using these networks]. You can log in and change the Admin password and make sure you get optimal QOS [quality of service] as an intruder."

Sinha also challenged the myth that Wi-Fi is local. Tests show that Wi-Fi signals can often be picked up several blocks away, especially if line of sight is available, he said. "You have to start thinking about your network—not just about the cables but also the airspace," he said.

Today's network attackers have access to hundreds of tools, readily available from Web sites, in bootable format, complete with a GUI. "These tools are all free, you don't have to be an expert to use them and all you need is a wireless device, nothing special, unless trying to attack cellular networks," Sinha said.

Another common attack, he said, is to use SoftAP software to convert a laptop to an AP. "At an airport, give it a bogus name, like 'Free Airline Wi-Fi,' and people will connect to you, since there's no authentication. Or run Karma, which responds to signals looking for known networks, like 'Home Network.' Or a hacker can have two Wi-Fi cards—one pretends to be the access point, one pretends to be the station... this can break SSH [Secure Shell] or HTTPS [HTTP Secure], and get passwords in clear text. Wireless makes man-in-the-middle attacks easy."

Companies shouldn't count on the security that comes with Wi-Fi devices, either, Sinha cautioned. WEP, for one, is dead, he said, with 23 known attacks against the encryption protocol. Cracking tools can break 128-bit WEP in less than a few minutes, he said. WPA Pre-Shared Keys, with short dictionary phrases, can be easily cracked. And the use of 802.1x with 802.11 is vulnerable to session hijacking or man-in-the-middle attacks.

Sensors—listen-only APs—from companies like AirDefense let companies monitor for rogue APs and other network threats.

A typical sensor might cover 20,000 to 50,000 square feet of space. For companies on tight budgets or just getting started, AirDefense has starter kits with five sensors and a lightweight server.

By Daniel P. Dern

Get smart for higher net gain

Written by Riley Martin on 1:54 AM

Never a technology to sit still for long, the IT network is on the move again.

Wireless ­ having already grown to an almost unbelievable degree ­ is more corpulent by the day. Video, web conferencing and other IP-borne collaboration tools are in greater demand than ever. Convergence, migration and virtualisation have turned into the great Father, Son, and Holy Ghost IT triumvirate. And all manner of firms are suddenly buying into the benefits of ideals such as remote working, datacentre consolidation, and 24/7 application access via technologies such as smartphones, PDAs, and thin clients. Happy days then.

Only this time it is different. It is no longer just the multinational, conglomerate, behemoth corporate that is setting this pace and the networking market agenda. It is no longer just enterprise customers that are looking to turn their networks into true utilities. It is SMEs.

And that spells channel opportunity, according to Peter Airs, business development director of three-times CRN Networking Vendor of the Year, NetGear.

“The networking market has evolved apace in the last 12 to 18 months, especially at the lower end of the SME space,” says Airs. “Here, where bandwidth-hungry, network-intensive applications like voice over IP (VoIP), video and wireless access used to enjoy only a minimal profile among smaller businesses, they are now much more commonplace.”

“Because of this, growing numbers of SMEs are coming to a realisation. If they want to properly deploy and reap the full benefits of IP-based applications ­ which are now more readily available to them ­ they must also start to take much greater control of their network infrastructures.

“They can have the next-generation applications they want, but they also need the infrastructures to go with it.”

Sarah Guy, marketing director at ZyXEL, agrees, saying networking manufacturers have been forced to act accordingly.

“There is no doubt about it. The networking market is changing at a rate of knots. In the past 12 months we have seen a demand for enterprise-class services at an SME and mid-market level as these environments become more complicated, for example with the growth in flexible working. Networks must now be intelligent and able to respond rapidly to SMEs’ changing and continually evolving requirements.”

Because of this, she says, there is now a need for vendors to make products smarter and more intuitive to enable resellers to sell them into SME and mid-market sectors more easily. “Resellers can command higher margins by deploying such solutions and advising customers to make their networks future-proof and scalable. For those resellers actively engaging in this, smart networking provides a critical unique selling point.”

It is a fair point. Even if a customer is not using smart networking technologies now, they will want to sooner or later.

Meanwhile, Bruce Hockin, head of business strategy at Horizon Equip Technology, believes that there are several other drivers behind the rise in smart networking adoption among SMEs ­ citing the growth in digital trading and advertising; the continuing development of the SaaS market; and the culture of flexible working as a handful of reasons why many smaller businesses are adopting more holistic approaches to building networks.

“Paying particular consideration to security, availability, mobility, and manageability, the boundaries between the needs of the enterprise and that of the small business are blurring. Broadband internet access and, in particular, changes in application delivery, are enabling businesses to compete on the same level.”

The smart network, he says, is the one that takes advantage of the development in technology while providing simplified solutions to business challenges, and is therefore, the one most likely to secure the budget.

This increasing value that is being placed on the network is creating a significant opportunity for the channel, says Hockin; the greatest challenge for the small business being a shortage of the knowledge and skills needed to implement a networking solution that delivers genuine business advantage.

“The commoditisation of intelligent technology has made networking affordable, but it is the ability to architect, integrate, support and manage that allows a business to realise the value of their investment.”

“To the SME, the value of these technologies is neither determined by which is the fastest, has the most ports or flashing lights; it is that which helps improve productivity, reduce cost and risk, and help deliver superior customer service.

“Therefore, the key for SMEs is to reduce management cost and integration headaches by consolidating certain functions into one device.”

The first and most obvious of these smarter networking devices is the smart switch ­ a technology that is winning popularity with SME and mid-market businesses thanks to its combination of high manageability, robust security and relatively low costs, says Peter Airs, whose company NetGear leads the smart switch market ahead of the likes of HP, D-Link, ZyXEL and Linksys.

“There is still a lot of education to be done, but as businesses begin to realise and embrace the need for greater control over their networks, selling in smart switches, which are secure and easily managed, against unmanaged switches, which are open, intrinsically insecure and by definition unmanageable, should become easier for channel companies.”

“Smart switches offer many of the same advanced features that fully managed switches do,” Airs added, “with a more easily managed front end ­ a bro wser-based GUI rather than command line-based interface ­ and at a price that is closer to that of an unmanaged switch.

“Add stackability to this and consider that the SME now has no need to buy features they will never need, at huge expense, and it becomes a no-brainer. Deploy a large number of these units, perhaps across multiple locations and the cost savings start to stack up,” he said.

Dave Smith is vice president of business solutions at D-Link Europe, another smart switch player. He too puts the smart switch’s popularity down to the fact that it delivers many of the benefits of a fully managed switch, but without the complexity or cost, and believes that this plays into the hands of the reseller.

“One would typically expect about two-thirds of small businesses to engage resellers to set up and possibly even maintain their networks, with the other third doing it themselves,” he said.

“The idea of smart switches is to simplify network setup and management. Once installed, they require very little maintenance other than, for example, adding new users to the network. The main advantage for the reseller is that they do not need to invest a huge amount of resource into training staff on complex, proprietary operating systems.”

The fact that smart switches can be managed via a web interface also improves margins because they can be supported easily from remote locations as well as cutting costs for the end user through lowering total cost of ownership and accelerating return on investment.

“Additionally,” says Smith, “as companies grow and require the network to scale accordingly, web-based smart switches help to web protect and future-proof the network investment. A web-based smart switch can operate as an unmanaged switch out of the box.

“But key features such as link aggregation, quality of service, and network monitoring enable a company to scale and grow without having to replace switches or perform ‘forklift’ upgrades.”

Another switching technology previously limited largely to enterprise installations, but now making a marked move towards the SME space, is the KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) switch ­ the deployment
of which can help optimise rack space, reduce energy bills and cut hardware costs by providing central access and control from anywhere with IP functionality.

“It is a great market to be in,” notes ATEN UK’s managing director, John Chen. “Feedback from our partners is that the network switch opportunity is growing dramatically here,” he said.

From a security perspective, Hockin notes that device consolidation has become a major driver in the unified threat management (UTM) space, where the integration of firewall, VPN, intrusion detection, audiovisual and anti-spam technologies is helping smaller businesses to reduce network risk and lower management costs.
However, because of this, says Keith Bird, vice president for Europe at SonicWALL, expectancy levels are becoming much higher among smaller enterprises.

“Small and mid-size sectors are demanding the same networking features as those in the enterprise space,” he explains. “But any solution aimed here also has to be extremely simple to manage and demonstrate real value back to the business to be considered.”

Reporting is critical he says, warning that if you cannot show the business’s non-technical audience where their money is going, you will not get your foot in the door.

Another consideration in terms of network security is value for money. “UTM is extremely popular with SMEs and as the number of features continues to grow, companies are comparing feature lists to check what they are receiving for their investment; so solutions based on single boxes are being dropped for UTM appliances.

“The ability to see and manage everything from a single point is the biggest selling point. These areas are making customers far more aware of the issues around IT security and many are relying on the channel to help them in what is a very dynamic sector,” said Bird.

David Ellis, director of e-security, professional services and training at ComputerLinks, says the push toward network security device consolidation is set to continue.

“Many vendors such as Juniper offer solutions that combine security services such as firewalls, VPNs, content filtering and intrusion prevention on the network device itself. It is likely that this trend will continue with routers and switches offering far more functionality than in the past, so that e-security becomes part of the core infrastructure.”

However, he says, as the threats and the risk landscape are changing, there will always be a need for
separate IT security products as networking vendors will not be agile enough to keep up with the new and changing threats.

Among these of course is wireless; the massive rise in the number of mobile devices being a particularly compelling factor here, according to Bird. IDC estimates that by 2009, there will be 850 million mobile and remote workers globally; up from 650 million in 2004. This compares with the sharp increase in cyber crime and tightening regulatory and compliance rules.

“Smart networking implies some degree of integration of security technology, yet there are still concerns with regards wireless,” notes Ian Kilpatrick, chairman of the Wick Hill Group.

“Witness TK Maxx and the failure of its wireless security when it used outmoded WEP instead of WPA2. Therefore, customers are looking for resellers who are able to work with them through the various mazes of wireless security and provide them with WPA2-compliant wireless security from suppliers such as Check Point and WatchGuard.

“They are looking for resellers who can couple that with the strong authentication required to ensure that only authorised users can access the network,” said Kilpatrick.

Anthony Fulgoni, vice president of strategic international sales at Proxim Wireless, believes that Wi-Fi will, nevertheless continue to dominate the space, with technologies such as 802.11n continuing the push towards the all-wireless enterprise and the wireless provision of multiple applications such as data access, VoIP and video.

“As more client devices use Wi-Fi and more applications take advantage of the technology’s productivity benefits ­ cost savings and higher speed access ­ resellers can look to a wider infrastructure and service play; considerations for storage and management and true WAN teleworking using wireless broadband and smart HSDPA plans from service providers.”

And resellers have a huge role to play in the unwiring of the enterprise, says Fulgoni.

“In addition to the product revenue, deploying and selling wireless networks enables the reseller to capture high-margin service revenues. Furthermore, subject matter expertise that comes with technical training can be a huge competitive differentiator for the reseller.”

Another important driver in the networking arena has been the push towards backbones that can promise faster, easier, more reliable application delivery ­ particularly in areas such as voice.

“VoIP raises considerable questions and opportunities in this arena, challenging the network both in capacity, latency, and security. This year will show this challenge in sharp relief as performance and security will come to the fore over and above what has increasingly been just a cost and application access sale,” said Kilpatrick.

“With VoIP, streaming video and similar technologies deployed alongside other smart networking technologies, it is crucial to be able to prioritise those applications that need performance and identify and bar or minimise those applications on the network that are hogging resources,” he said.

Companies such as Allot Communications and their VARs are seeing significant sales growth with solutions that perform application prioritisation, as well as secure deep packet inspection to detect malicious or inappropriate application traffic.

“There are significant opportunities for those resellers that have skilled up in this area, and we have had strong take-up of courses that deliver training in this value-add arena. We know from our sales
figures that this area will continue to grow.”

Future proofing is another important consideration, says Rajesh Sinha, technical director at Bailey Teswaine, especially when it comes to the differing life spans of various parts of the network infrastructure. Where IT infrastructure such as servers, switches and PCs typically lasts three to five years, he explains, structured cabling is expected to last much longer, perhaps 20 years.

“Building in headroom through dark fibre and spare capacity will help future proof the building and organisation for years to come. Building management systems such as heating, lighting, CCTV and air-conditioning are increasingly IP-enabled too. The ability to integrate building systems, better monitor and control energy use and provide an optimal environment for staff can all generate network traffic. Scaling the network correctly at the planning stage enables companies to support these applications.”

One way or the other, there looks to be a significant channel opportunity in smart networking products and services moving forward. It is not, however, as simple as stocking up and knocking on a few doors, cautions Kilpatrick.

“Smart networking is a big shift for the channel from a product sale to a solution sale, because the elements of smart networking need to be integrated and interoperable. As a consequence, enterprise and high-end SMEs are looking for VARs that are able to deliver rounded solutions, with expertise and services.”

“This market is still, therefore, in development and a long way from maturity and there are considerable opportunities for suitably skilled VARs. While users want smart networking, they also need good partners they can trust to deliver it.”

So what does it take to succeed in the smart networking arena?

Troy Lilliard, head of professional services with secure platform provider s2s, a subsidiary of Bailey Teswaine, sees the reseller’s approach as being as important as the technology they are offering.

“I think that smart networking is still a difficult sell, particularly to SMEs,” he says. “Admittedly, device intelligence is becoming affordable, but device intelligence by itself is only half the picture. The real benefit comes into play when multiple intelligent devices start working together to monitor, optimise, and protect the network infrastructure and associated services,” said Lilliard.

“Most of these systems are still out of the reach for SMEs to buy directly, so an opportunity arises for VARs to outlay the capital expenditure, white label such services and provide them to SMEs as managed or licensed services.”

This is where vendor incentives can really come into their own, adds Lilliard. The more common ones include trade-in and buy-back schemes where the vendor helps offset the user’s capital expenditure by offering trade in value on other hardware such as reseller rebates, particularly on new technologies; joint marketing funds; and easy finance options, particularly pertinent given the current credit crunch.

In the end, it is a question of adding real value says Lilliard. “For resellers to be successful in this environment, being able to build proper return on investment and total cost of ownership estimates is the best approach to take. If you do not take this route, there will be increased competition on price alone.”

Overall, says NetGear’s Peter Airs, there is every reason for resellers to be optimistic where smart networking is concerned. “There are all sorts of incentives for resellers to try to move their customers away from unmanaged networks and towards smart networking technologies.

“Extra revenues; a greater understanding of their customers’ networking capabilities and, therefore, a clearer network road map and upgrade path. Easier network management when offering third-party management services and a good incremental opportunity as users grow their networks over time for example,” he added.

MLL Telecom Makes Successful Bid in UK Wireless Spectrum Auction

Written by Riley Martin on 1:17 AM

MLL Telecom, which specialises in building and operating broadband wireless networks, today announced that it has been successful in last week’s Ofcom auction of radio spectrum licences. Other successful bidders include BT, Orange, T-Mobile, Arqiva and UK Broadband.

MLL Telecom has been awarded national spectrum licences in the 32 and 40 GHz bands. It will use this spectrum to support its core business of providing carrier-grade wireless backhaul, point-to-point and point-to-multipoint connectivity. The spectrum can also be used for WiMAX backhaul.

Rick Hudson, CEO of MLL Telecom, said: "This auction was very well organised by Ofcom. The calibre of companies participating was extremely high reflecting the importance of this spectrum to operators and service providers. Having our own spectrum will enable us to provide a guaranteed wireless service anywhere in the UK, and will serve to support the anticipated explosion of wireless backhaul requirements in line with 3G, 4G, LTE and WiMAX developments. Moreover, we feel that the auction process resulted in a very meaningful distribution of licences to some very committed and active providers of UK-based wireless services. Given the prices paid for such attractive and versatile spectrum bands, we can look forward to an exciting period of innovation and expansion in the provision of both wide-area and first mile wireless services here in the UK."

This was Ofcom’s fourth auction of radio licences and is part of a programme to release new spectrum for a wide range of uses. Ofcom released the spectrum on a technology and service-neutral basis, allowing users the flexibility to decide what technology to use, what services to offer and to change their use of the spectrum over time. The licences are also fully tradable.

More information about the auction can be found on Ofkom website.

MLL has built wireless networks for network operators such as BT, Affiniti, ntl:Telewest and public sector organisations including East Sussex County Council, North Yorkshire County Council, Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, Dorset Police, North Dorset District Council, plus a number of NHS and enterprise customers.

About MLL Telecom

Wireless Connectivity in India with WiMAX

Written by Riley Martin on 4:42 AM

The increasing problems looking into the eye of this country’s internet connectivity scene have propelled the internet provider companies to start looking for alternative and more efficient solutions. Moreover, with the success of iPod Touch and iPhones, more and more companies are realizing the power of wireless internet connectivity. To top it all, problems created by the varied geographical and demographical conditions of India also highlight the importance of connecting the masses wirelessly.

What is WiMax Technology?
WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is basically a telecommunications technology aimed at providing wireless data over long distances in a variety of ways, from point-to-point links to full mobile cellular type access. It is based on the IEEE 802.16 standard, which is also called WirelessMan.
More recently, mobile WiMAX, based on 802.16e and the WiMAX Forum’s NWG specification, has emerged as a compelling solution for high-performance, mobile broadband applications. Vendors are integrating this technology into CPE devices as well as into laptops and a variety of handset devices, thus enabling service providers to offer a premium mobile Internet experience to their customers.

Current Situation of Wireless Connectivity in India
Wireless connectivity is already on the rise in the country, thanks to cheap availability of Wi-Fi hardware resources. Moreover, the need for mobile computing and the rise of Indian economy has also lent their fair share of helping hands.
According to Mr. K Surender, Country Manager, Dax, the overall growth in Wi-Fi is considerably higher than the average growth of the networking industry. He estimates the growth in the Wi-Fi segment at 60%.
To add to the growth of the Wi-Fi segment, many hotspots have been erected by service providers like TATA Indicom, Sify, Reliance Telecommunications and BSNL.

However, unfortunately, Wi-Fi is not a viable solution for every nook and cranny in the country and this is where WiMAX comes to the rescue. WiMAX or 802.16 is an extension of Wi-Fi, the difference being that the former has better reach and can potentially solve the last-mile problem to bring broadband connectivity to remote areas.

Nevertheless, Wi-Fi and WiMAX address different needs, hence they should be able to co-exist. Says Rajesh Sahore, country manager of Allied Telesyn, “Wi-Fi and WiMAX are part of the same underlying technology, but have different applications. Wi-Fi provides seamless access within a small radius such as campus or airport lounge, whereas once WiMAX hits the market it will provide enterprises the ability to connect at speeds as high as 70 Mbps over a range of up to 48 km. Since WiMAX would be a fairly new technology, WiMAX will be comparatively expensive, therefore it is safe to assume that both the technologies have a role to play in the Indian market.”

This growing demand for unfettered access to the open internet and its associated services will perhaps be the largest driver for WiMAX. With WiMAX’s extensive support for QoS , we also see demand for VoIP services, IP TV and interactive video services.
Who & What is WiChorus?
Rehan Jalil, 37, started WiChorus in 2005 after leaving Aperto Networks because he wanted to create low-cost broadband technology for the developing world. WiChorus quickly outgrew the garage, where it was first set up, and got a new sprawling headquarters in San Jose where Jalil leads 50 engineers in creating product innovations relating to WiMAX.

WiChorus helps service providers build scalable & profitable WiMAX and LTE networks. WiChorus recognized that the wireless carrier marketplace is migrating to flatter, all-IP network architectures leveraging higher-performance OFDMA air interfaces. These emerging wireless architectures, such as WiMAX and LTE, require a new class of wireless core infrastructure.

WiChorus focuses on this area of the network, providing high-performance, intelligent, wireless core solutions that enable service providers to efficientlyne deliver IP-based services, manage and monetize internet traffic, optimize network resources, and provide advanced subscriber management. In essence, WiChorus enables the mobile Internet experience.

What is the big deal about WiChorus and WiMAX?
Jalil’s firm, which holds 19 patents in the wireless spectrum, has just launched a pilot program in India to offer WiMAX through phone companies he didn’t wish to name.
WiChorus says that its gear can help offer Internet connectivity without the phone lines for as little as $15 per month. “Through WiMAX, you are using the same frequency to send a lot more data. Thus, the cost per unit goes down,” says the engineer from Purdue University.
Another reason why phone carriers using WiChorus’s equipment will be able to charge so little is that the company has simplified products such as cell phone base stations which serve as hubs to let the phones commute.
“State-run phone companies have shown interest in our work. They have the mandate to provide broadband services to the masses… and we have the equipment & technology to make it happen,” said Jalil who received $25 million in funding last year from the Mayfield Fund, Redpoint Ventures and Accel Partners.

Other Companies in the Scene
Cordia Corporation, a global communications service provider of traditional CLEC and Voice over Internet Protocol (”VOIP”) technologies announced on the 25th of February that Cordia LT Communications Pvt. Ltd., its joint venture with LT Overseas Ltd., has been granted a fifteen year nationwide license to sell IP telephony and ISP services throughout India. Cordia LT expects to begin selling VoIP services on February 27, 2008. In conjunction with the launch, Cordia LT has deployed an initial network node in New Delhi that will be integrated with Cordia’s international network. Cordia LT is also licensed to provide ISP and broadband services and is currently analyzing wireless network options including WiMAX and mobile WiMAX.


India’s Tata Communications, formerly known as VSNL has also announced plans to spend up to US$2 billion over the next three years on expanding its network. About half the expenditure will be on a WiMAX network which will cover 15 cities by 2009. Currently, its WiMax services are available only in Bangalore.
Author’s Note
As things can be perceived, from an enthusiast’s point of view, the day ain’t too far when one shall be able to chat with one’s mates or be able to sync official data and work effortlessly from any corner of the country. In a way, the demographical challenges poised by India’s terrains have worked as a boon since it helped in the early deployment and acceptance of wireless technologies among the common masses.

About the Autor
The Refreshing Blog on Web, Advertising and Technology in India!