Wireless Security Overview - ZyXEL Communications WAP6807 User Manual

• Every device in the same wireless network must use security compatible with the AP.
Security stops unauthorized devices from using the wireless network. It can also protect the
information that is sent in the wireless network.
Radio Channels
In the radio spectrum, there are certain frequency bands allocated for unlicensed, civilian use. For the
purposes of wireless networking, these bands are divided into numerous channels. This allows a variety of
networks to exist in the same place without interfering with one another. When you create a network,
you must select a channel to use.
Since the available unlicensed spectrum varies from one country to another, the number of available
channels also varies.

8.10.2 Wireless Security Overview

By their nature, radio communications are simple to intercept. For wireless data networks, this means
that anyone within range of a wireless network without security can not only read the data passing over
the airwaves, but also join the network. Once an unauthorized person has access to the network, he or
she can steal information or introduce malware (malicious software) intended to compromise the
network. For these reasons, a variety of security systems have been developed to ensure that only
authorized people can use a wireless data network, or understand the data carried on it.
These security standards do two things. First, they authenticate. This means that only people presenting
the right credentials (often a username and password, or a "key" phrase) can access the network.
Second, they encrypt. This means that the information sent over the air is encoded. Only people with
the code key can understand the information, and only people who have been authenticated are
given the code key.
These security standards vary in effectiveness. Some can be broken, such as the old Wired Equivalent
Protocol (WEP). Using WEP is better than using no security at all, but it will not keep a determined
attacker out. Other security standards are secure in themselves but can be broken if a user does not use
them properly. For example, the WPA-PSK security standard is very secure if you use a long key which is
difficult for an attacker's software to guess - for example, a twenty-letter long string of apparently
random numbers and letters - but it is not very secure if you use a short key which is very easy to guess -
for example, a three-letter word from the dictionary.
Because of the damage that can be done by a malicious attacker, it's not just people who have
sensitive information on their network who should use security. Everybody who uses any wireless network
should ensure that effective security is in place.
A good way to come up with effective security keys, passwords and so on is to use obscure information
that you personally will easily remember, and to enter it in a way that appears random and does not
include real words. For example, if your mother owns a 1970 Dodge Challenger and her favorite movie is
Vanishing Point (which you know was made in 1971) you could use "70dodchal71vanpoi" as your
security key.
The following sections introduce different types of wireless security you can set up in the wireless
network.
Chapter 8 Wireless LAN
WAP6807 User's Guide
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