Chapter 7. COTS

Chapter 7. COTS

The last time somebody said, "I find I can write much better with a word processor," I replied, "They used to say the same thing about drugs."

Roy Blount Jr.

Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products present another trap into which we sometimes fall when looking for security. COTS products offer a false sense of security in some cases. They should be used when necessary and can offer a partial security solution, but they should be understood first and used with great care. This chapter investigates some popular wireless industry COTS products and examines how they can fit in to protecting a wireless application or system.