Stay on Top of WLAN Security to Guard Against Threats

Top Security Threats for 2013

We’re not even done with the first month of the year and the security news just keeps coming. A Java flaw has finally been patched after the Department of Homeland Security stepped in to see that it be done. A recent New York Times report stated that large numbers of servers were being used in DDoS attacks against U.S. financial institutions. And cyber terrorism is becoming a growing concern as previously undetected espionage networks are coming to the surface. It’s all enough to keep any CIO up at night.

But the best defense against any security threat is to be proactive in your security efforts. That includes creating a foolproof security plan in the event of an attack, educating your employees on the importance of creating strong passwords and staying current with system updates. It also includes checking to make sure all access points and wireless switches are secure and up-to-date to guard against any threats.

Once again, the NIST has stepped up with recommendations for securing your wireless local area networks, or WLANs. These recommendations include:

• Employing standardized security configurations
• Stating which dual connections are allowed
• Ensuring configurations are compliant

The publication includes several other important steps that you can take to keep your WLANs safe. It’s a quick, but worthwhile read.

Below are a few other tools from our IT Downloads library to bolster your security efforts:

Managing the Configuration of Information Systems with a Focus on Security: Follow these NIST recommendations on secure configuration of all components of your information systems.

Protecting DNS Servers from Denial of Service Threats: These recommendations can help prevent DNS-based attacks, as well as cache poisoning.