The growing reach of technology has begun to impact every facet of life for every person and often at the centre of their hardware is a wireless network. This study will examine the importance of security in the emerging wireless network society. The ability to review evidence that is relevant and timely to the subject will allow a far better decision making model in the future.
Beginning with an overview of the base evolution of the wireless network will allow for a working database to be established. Following this section with an assessment of the modern implementation methods associated with wireless networks will demonstrate as to the priority that modern society has put on the installation of security. A combination of the first two sections will enable a credible assessment as to the future potential of security in the realm of wireless networks.
In the end, this work will have examined past inception, modern application and future potential as regards the security of wireless networks, with the stated goal of determining if the practice remains important in modern society.
Wireless Networks
Wireless communications has been argued to be among the first forms of communication employed by mankind in the form of shouts and drums (Molisch 4). This need to actively talk to one another over a wide range is a component of humanity. The Modern age of wireless transmission began with the labour of Maxwell and Hertz, and their understanding of electromagnetic waves (Molisch 4). Beginning at that point, the true potential for this technology to transform the world was revealed. Marconi illustrated the advances in the art of wireless communication is 1898 with his ship to shore transmission, solidifying the potential usefulness of the concept (Molisch 4). This technology continued on to become the television and radio industry, with the recent addition of the world-wide Internet.
As is often the case, the police and military were among the first to develop a need for the network capability (Molisc 4). Utilizing the early era science, the government was able to produce a rudimentary Internet structure that was deemed vital to emergency and wartime use. Continuing on to develop such amenities as the cordless phone and the high speed networks that contain highly sensitive information quickly illustrated the need to create a form of security (Molisch 5). Especially in the terms of military use, the ability to ensure absolute secrecy of communications is a long sought after principle. The opportunity for negative use of transmitted data required a mechanism to keep that data secure (Molisch 6). This recognition resulted in many of the initial efforts to create fire walls or other forms of IT security.
Zheng and Abbas (369) illustrate the profound potential available through the many civilian and military uses for the wireless network. With modern concerns that include environmental monitoring and homeland security and there is an application principle available in absolutely any current professional or military field. The availability of the technology needed to create a wireless network is credited with making these same networks notoriously difficult to continuously protect (Zheng and Abbas 369). The proliferation and need for the innovations in the IT world ensure that the entire world is aware of the strengths and weaknesses that are inherent to each hardware and software product available. There are four primary areas of concern during the creation of a security protocol for a wireless network (Zheng and Abbas 370):
- The fact that wireless channels are naturally open to everyone presents the first and biggest challenge to security. Add to this fact that radio interface is configured at the very same range, making it possible of anyone to monitor or take part in a wireless encounter. This is the first method employed to break into a wireless network.
- The Internet, the primary means of communication in the modern world does not provide a security platform at the design stage. This makes the potential for a knowledgeable person to gain access over area high. Conversely, the presence of these protocols in the mainstream means that everyone has the opportunity to learn how to defend their networks.
- The limited resources available to the modern sensors have only a limited capacity to include security protocol. This makes the physical design of the network hardware crucial in order to establish an effective barrier. Employing clusters of sensors assures higher degrees of protection, but diminishes the adaptability of the underlying network. This is a consideration that must be recognized and addressed at the network design level, with the lack of security protocol taking the bulk of the credit of allowing unauthorized access.
- The often volatile and shifting nature of the environment that a network is installed into will dictate the availability of some forms of defence. Alongside the more public wireless networks will be the more potential for these networks to be subject to a wide variety of attacks.
Beaver (1) argues that past practice has created a network that is easier than ever to penetrate. This view recognizes that technology has begun to develop at such a frenetic pace that the efforts to keep networks secure are a continuous endeavour. The short history of the internet has demonstrated that once there is a tool capable of doing damage to available networks, there will be someone that will utilize that tool (Beaver 128). This fact is a reflection of the volatile and free flowing nature of the Internet.
Alongside the innovation, convenience productivity and cost savings of every wireless network has come the potential for a security failure having to do with some facet of the system (Beaver 10). Often assumed to be the extent of the threats, weak passwords, spyware and missing patches are not the most common methods that networks are attacked. Hackers and cyber trespassers will strike at the infrastructure of a wireless network, far beyond the understanding of the common day to day user (Beaver 10). This recognition often drives business owners to choose between an increased installation cost or the uncertainty of potential loss. Even with the advent of modern patches and constant updates by servers in order to strengthen the internal network, the reality is that the hackers have the same technology to work with and are often one step ahead of the developers (Beaver 11).
One of the most common of the modern network threats comes in the form of a Denial of service, or DoS, attack (Farahani 134). This insidious method utilizes a node to reject every message to a specific server. A network can easily become vulnerable to this form of attack if there is no verification of message integrity, which involves a specific security protocol (Farahani 135). Employing the common message service allows an opening for the experience hacker to take advantage of. A second very common method of wireless network attack exists in the form of the same-nonce attack (Farahani 135). This method employs the security protocol itself to recover a portion of a prior message.
The future of technology and wireless networks in particular is looking extraordinary (Briere, Edward and Hurley 284). Alongside the base development of the wireless network will be the emerging presence of even more applications for the technology. An example often touted is the enabling of a common soda machine with blue tooth, in order to facilitate orders (Briere, Edward, and Hurley 285). The advances of the coming era will create what many once thought to be dreams through the advent of the wireless network and the associated capability of keeping these instruments secures.
In Conclusion
This study has examined the role of the wireless network technology in the modern era. The evidence presented in the context of this work has provided compelling results. Perhaps the most prominent topic is the ready availability of the security technology to everyone, including potential hackers. This is a fact of the modern era and adds both considerable positive elements as well as substantial detrimental potential.
In the end, this essay examined past practice, modern application and future potential with the findings conclusively demonstrating the need for a form of security in the modern and future wireless networks. Despite the challenges, there is a clear and abiding need to maintain security; from the personal to the professional this aspect is vital.
Works cited
Beaver, Kevin. Hacking for dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Pub., 2010. Print. pp. 1-300.
Briere, Daniel D, Edward Ferris and Patrick J Hurley. Wireless home networking for dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2006. Print. pp. 1-305.
Farahani, Shahin. ZigBee wireless networks and transceivers. Amsterdam: Newnes/Elsevier, 2008. Print. pp. 1-200.
Molisch, Andreas F. Wireless communications. Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons, 2005. Print. pp. 1-200.
Zheng, Jun and Abbas Jamalipour. Wireless sensor networks. Piscataway, N.J.: IEEE Press, 2009. Print. pp. 1-400.
