WLAN VS LAN, Security Issues and Beyond
By Amera Attaria

Topic:

The proliferation of WLAN networks has led to increasingly closer scrutiny regarding the security of WLANs in both 
consumer and business networks.  This paper is designed to help the reader better understand the issues and solutions 
surrounding WLAN security issues.  It is worth pointing out that the single biggest security issue stems from a choice 
made by customers to use no security.  When it comes to WLAN consumer has to decide in what is needed to be done in 
order to secure his data over the networks.  A general Comparison of WLAN and LAN based on security issues,  
Flexibility, deployment, robustness, advantages and disadvantages, and their impact on the technological industry.

Major Goals:

1. Discuss major characteristics of WLAN and LAN.
2. The difference between WLAN and LAN.
3. Show their strengths and their weaknesses.
4. Discuss in detail their security issues.
5. Their impact and contribution on the network.
6. Will Wireless LAN.s advantages and its contributions for the 
   Wireless network Out weighs its security holes?
7. What is WLAN doing to improve security issues and its services? 
8. What.s next for WLAN?

Scope:

It is hard not to give thumbs up for the Wireless LAN and its well deserved contributions in the Wireless network.  
WLAN have made amazing improvements in terms of ease of setup and deployment, flexibility,reasonable costs of 
building and maintaining, and robustness.  However, will all of these advantages cover up some of its shortages 
in terms of security issues and lower quality services?  How does WLAN measure up against the wired networks and 
will it be able to compete in terms of security and service?

Wireless LANs may not be protected by a physical boundary since their transmissions penetrate walls. 
As a result WEP encryption that was added to the IEEE 802.11 standard to provide an equivalent level 
of privacy similar to a physical boundary (like a wall) can be used to secure WLAN.  For example, for
larger organizations, or those where the value of the data justifies strong protection, users should 
set up additional security methods. Some examples of these methods are RADIUS -or Kerberos- based access 
control, end-to-end encryption, password protection, user authentication, Virtual Private Networks (VPN),
Secure Socket Layer (SSL), and firewalls. Wi-Fi technology integrates seamlessly with these and other security 
approaches. Currently, IEEE 802.11 Task Group I (IEEE 802.11i) is working on extensions to WEP for incorporation 
within a future version of the standard. The enhancements currently proposed include an entirely different privacy 
algorithm and provisions for enhanced authentication. This paper will tackle all these issues and will give the reader a 
clear picture of where WLAN is heading and how it stacks up against the wired networks.


References: 

1) Jochen Schiller, Mobile Communications, Second edition, pages 201-298, 2003.
2) The Mansfield Group, LLC,  "Spread Spectrum Scene Online.s Wireless 
   LAN", http://www.itvshop.com/wlan-security/objectives.html, 2004.
3) Trevor Marshall, "Antennas Enhance WLAN Security",http://www.Byte.com, 2001.
4) Matthew Peretz, "WLAN Uptake Trend Intensifies", http://www.Internet.com, 2002.