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April 18, 2005

Map Out Your Wireless-Security Audits

Picture a secure network
A Web Exclusive from Windows IT Pro
Tony Howlett
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Windows IT Pro
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Are you tired of trying to get management to take wireless security seriously? Are you ready to pull out your hair if just one more department manager decides to plug in a store-bought wireless hub--without telling you--just for "temporary purposes" such as giving visitors Internet access? Are you going blind from trying to decipher the unfriendly results of your wireless-network audits? Most wireless-auditing tools are long on data and short on visual aids. True, some higher- end programs have limited graphical capabilities, but none that I'm aware of provide color maps of your wireless network and auditing results, at least not right out of the box. However, when you're asking management for stronger security policies or better wireless equipment, a map like that puts punch in your presentation. For a minimal investment, you can assemble a collection of free and commercial tools that will let you create Global Positioning System (GPS)­calibrated maps of all the wireless networks in your area. These maps provide information about each network's owner, signal strength, encryption type, equipment, MAC addresses, and a lot of other useful data. You can use the maps as a visual aid when trying to assess and strengthen your wireless network's security.

What You'll Need
You'll need both hardware and software for this project. If you're already performing wireless audits, you might already have most of this equipment. Most of the software is free, but you might need to make a small investment for the mapping software and possibly for a GPS receiver. Here's what you need to get going: . . .


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