Foreword


Dr. Tony Dubendorf has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the computer industry. He has more than 28 years of experience in the security and wireless communications industry, starting with his ventures into amateur radio in the early 1970s. Dr. Dubendorf is the author of Wireless Data Technologies published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. During his technical career, Dr. Dubendorf has led the infrastructure design, implementation, and security audits for several global corporations such as Nokia, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas, as well as for several government organizations. Tony's professional background includes management and security consulting, business development, and participation in the full range of enterprise program and project management activities, with specific emphasis on wireless and information security technologies.

As wireless technologies improve and gain acceptance, new security concerns arise and new measures must be employed. The millions of wireless devices in use offer a huge opportunity for mischievous and criminal behavior; awareness of security has to be a prime concern for everyone whenever computers are connected to the network.

Security is important for communication within a corporate intranet or home network, but it is indispensable when the communication goes beyond the secured intranet. A wireless user who attaches his computer to the public WLAN faces several potential threats at the same time: the data on the computer may become vulnerable, the connection to the corporate network may be compromised, and access to the network may be misused. All of these threats must be looked at and prevented. It is necessary to realize that the connection to the corporate network via a public WLAN consists of multiple pieces that need to be secured: the WLAN itself as a connection to WISP, the connection between WISP and the corporate network, and the corporate network itself. The ideal situation is to achieve end-to-end security.

In light of the overwhelming likelihood that any organization with a wireless presence will fall victim to some type of computer incident in the next year, learning how to prevent and respond to such incidents is critical. Most companies have no idea that their networks are wide open to security risks. When 802.11b first appeared in 1999, consumers and businesses saw the opportunity to create inexpensive and relatively easy-to-install wireless networks alongside current wired Ethernet-based local area networks (LANS); however, the quick adoption and easy operation has become a double-edged sword as, for example, researchers at the Gartner Group predict that nearly one-third of the businesses with wireless LANs will experience problem security. Wireless LANs are broadcasting secrets belonging to enterprises that have spent millions on Internet security.

What makes this book so remarkable is that Rittinghouse and Ransome, both of whom are well-known security experts, provide the technical details and legal context necessary to understand how to effectively provide Wireless Operational Security in a very practical manner. This book will prove to be extremely valuable to any reader regardless of technical expertise. In addition to step-by-step instructions and WLAN Practitioner Worksheets, the authors deliver in-depth knowledge in WLAN basics, information security and the law, policy and risk management, and risk and threat mitigation.

Even though there is no substitute for actual experience, this book is an invaluable resource that should be mandatory reading for anyone who will be developing applications, providing architectural design, working with or have responsibility for any type of wireless technology, regardless of whether it is 802.11 based or one of the mobile-wireless platforms such as 2.5 or third generation. This book should be read before any decision about the use of wireless technologies is made and kept on hand as a reference source.

Vern A. Dubendorf, Ph.D., CISM
Jacksonville, Florida
October 2003




Wireless Operational Security
Wireless Operational Security
ISBN: 1555583172
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 153

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