The ability to connect to the Internet anywhere and at any time has made a business Wi-Fi network a necessity for most organizations. With benefits ranging from increased productivity to improved customer satisfaction, implementing a wireless network for your employees and guests is no longer just an option. It’s pretty simple to enable Wi-Fi, just walk into any retail store or office lobby and you’ll find a long list of available connections. However, keeping the network secure is the real challenge.
Using the wrong technology or hosting an unsecured network has irreversible consequences to your business. So, what’s at risk? Only your corporate data, customer privacy and company reputation. Cyber criminals are well versed in exposing your vulnerabilities, and your Wi-Fi is no exception.
Below are the top ten threats to your wireless network:
- Wi-Fi password cracking – wireless access points that still use older security protocols, like WEP, make for easy targets because passwords are notoriously easy to crack.
- Rogue hotspots – Cyber criminals can easily enable a foreign access point near your hotspot with a matching SSID, which invites customers to log in. If you fall victim to the Rogue AP, you become susceptible to a malicious code injection that often goes unnoticed.
- Masquerading attacks – One common attempt to breach Wi-Fi security is to disguise a device as legitimate or known by spoofing a MAC address.
- Planting malware – When you join a guest wireless network, you are susceptible to unknowingly walking out with unwanted malware, delivered from bad-intentioned neighboring users. A common tactic used by hackers is to plant a backdoor on the network, which allows them to return at a later date to steal sensitive information.
- Eavesdropping – In any unprotected wireless network, you run the risk of having your private communications detected by nosey cyber snoops.
- Wireless DDoS – Attackers can cause a standstill in Wi-Fi access by intentionally sending large amounts of traffic to legitimate access points, which disables the appliance from legitimate use.
- Man in the Middle Attack (MiM) – mundane communication over Wi-Fi can lead to a breach when a villainous actor secretly intercepts and alters legitimate conversations.
- Inappropriate and illegal usage – if you are a business that offers guest Wi-Fi, you risk playing host to a wide variety of illegal and potentially harmful communication. Illegal downloads of protected media can leave your business susceptible to copyright infringement lawsuits.
- Bad neighbors – as the number of wireless users on the network grows, so does the risk of a pre-infected client entering the network. Mobile attacks can spread from guest to guest, even if victim zero is oblivious to the outbreak.
- Data theft – joining a wireless network puts you at risk of losing private documents that may contain highly sensitive information to cyber thieves who opportunistically intercept data being sent through the network.
Providing a strong Wi-Fi network is a business necessity. Keeping the network secure is a requirement. The team at DiamondIT offers a complete portfolio of wireless solutions that eliminate the most common vulnerabilities. Contact the experts at DiamondIT and be confident knowing your connections are secure.