But you can't rely on standards alone to protect your networks and mobile computers from attack. You need to establish a wireless LAN deployment policy that accomplishes the following goals:

Find unsecured access points. Wireless sniffer equipment can analyze network traffic to locate rogue access points and identify attacks. There are a number of these standalone products such as AiroPeek from WildPackets, MobileManager from Wavelink, and Sniffer Wireless from Network Associates.

In addition, some wireless LAN vendors, such as Cisco, include wireless traffic analysis capabilities to help automatically detect rogue access points or wireless attacks.

Use personal firewall software. The first line of defense for mobile computers is to install personal firewall software on each laptop, such as Network ICE's BlackICE Defender 2.5, Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall; and Zone Labs' ZoneAlarm Pro. This is important for protection on wireless links as well as for fixed Internet connections such as ADSL or cable modems.

Physically secure laptops. Atkinson says the best way to protect roaming laptops is to completely disable physical access. Even though firewall applications can provide some protection, hackers can still get physical access to the network.

You can disable physical access to a laptop by unplugging the wireless Network Interface Card (NIC) and by covering the IrDA port with a piece of aluminum foil secured with duct tape. Bluetooth transceivers pose an additional problem because you can't physically shield them, so you should disable all networking capabilities from within the operating system when they aren't needed.

Run VPN software. Pescatore says that some of the major vendors, such as Lucent, Cisco, and 3Com, can provide adequate security today, but this means that you must use a single vendor for all your equipment. Otherwise, he recommends that all mobile computers run virtual private network (VPN) software and that you "treat the wireless LAN just as you would treat the Internet."

Though most VPN technologies operate at the Internet protocol layer, AppGate has developed an applications layer VPN that runs in Java. Dennis Szerszen, chief strategy officer at AppGate, says that this allows a company to strategically secure valuable applications and databases without having to modify every PC and PDA. In addition, VPNs do require that you install software on gateways that need to be deployed around the IT infrastructure.

Making sure your security precautions pay off requires keeping an eye on the standards. The current WEP standard is easily compromised, yet a new standard may not be adopted until next year.

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