Beware of the rogues!

Wireless connectivity is like oxygen – we don’t notice it until it’s missing. It’s just there. So when we think about wireless networking, we tend to think only in terms of access and not in terms of attacks or intrusions it may fall victim to. But that kind of thinking doesn’t necessarily make the problem go away, doesn’t it? In fact, it became essential to watch constantly for numerous types of malicious activity.

In the world of Wi-Fi security, the “big bad wolf” has always been the rogue access point. And rightly so, as it’s a potential open and unsecured gateway straight into the entire network. A wireless rogue device can do a lot of damage, if left unchecked.

Although rogue APs get the most press when discussing wireless security, many other attacks are also potentially harmful. Like, for example man-in-the-middle attacks, wireless hijacking, DoS attacks or flood attacks, to name a few. While all of the old tricks in the pirate playbook still exist, there is not short supply of new threats.

Sure, these days WIPS solutions are usually integrated and many vendors provide the bare minimum of Wireless Intrusion Prevention Systems’ capabilities. On top of that, WIPS has been taken for granted because Wi-Fi security has been enhanced. For example, not so long ago the WPA2 security certification has been upgraded to WPA3 with more robust security mechanisms.

But as luck would have it, as various WLAN architectures have evolved over the years, so has the architecture for WIPS solutions. Example? Though monitoring for Wi-Fi attacks has been the primary focus, other RF technologies Bluetooth (BT) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) are being used in enterprise networks. As a result, WIPS solutions are evolving to also monitor these RF technologies for threats.

Furthermore, the entire networking industry in recent years has been in the middle of a paradigm shift toward cloud services for management and visibility. WIPS solutions are no exception as they transition to the cloud for all the advantages it offers such as scalability, and an unlimited data horizon. The machine learning capabilities that cloud can offer is enhancing WIPS anomaly detection and wireless threat assessments. And with the current emergence of IoT, the need to put WIPS back at the forefront of enterprise security solutions has probably never been stronger.

So… why don’t you give WIPS a try? Especially when Extreme is offering you the most advanced solution in the world?