Wi-Fi Alliance to Businesses: Do the Right (Security) Thing
Wi-Fi users say they know how to secure their networks. So why are so few of them actually doing it?
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PrintIf you use Wi-Fi networks, chances are you're aware of the need to secure them from intruders -- and you probably know what steps you should take to do this.
But a new survey sponsored by the Wi-Fi Alliance -- the industry trade group that certifies Wi-Fi gear from different manufacturers for interoperability -- found that a significant number of users who know what they should be doing to secure their networks still aren't doing it.
For example, while 88 percent of those surveyed agreed that passwords should have at least eight characters and include a mix of letters, numbers and special characters, only 59 percent said they actually used such a password to protect their network.
Tech-Savvy Wi-Fi Users a Mixed Bag
What's even more puzzling is that people who consider themselves tech-savvy -- and who should therefore know better -- don't do a whole lot better than non-techies when it comes to Wi-Fi security, the survey found.
Case in point: Only 40 percent of those surveyed said they updated passwords yearly -- and the results on this question were identical regardless of whether respondents identified themselves as tech-savvy or not.Similarly, 66 percent of tech-savvy users said they assigned passwords to all their devices, only slightly more than the 62 percent of non-tech-savvy users who password-protected all gear.
Tech-savvy users did do better on the strong password issue: About two-thirds said they used strong passwords as described above (at least eight characters and a mix of letters, numbers and symbols), compared to less than half (46 percent) of non-tech-savvy respondents. And 90 percent of tech-savvy users said they password-protect their Wi-Fi networks, compared to 75 percent of non-tech savvy users.
These results from a telephone survey of 1,000 Americans, conducted in August by Wakefield Research, brings back memories of the bad old days when reports of Wi-Fi security vulnerabilities seemed to appear every other week. The industry responded by upgrading Wi-Fi's encryption technology -- several times.
If you use equipment that's Wi-Fi Alliance-certified for the latest Wi-Fi standard (802.11n), you have the hardware and software you need to implement very strong security.
3 Steps to Better Wi-Fi Security
It goes without saying that small businesses especially should be securing their Wi-Fi networks, not only to safeguard data but to keep malware from crashing computers. So here's the Wi-Fi Alliance's quick three-step refresher in Wi-Fi security:
1. Use strong passwords. That means passwords with at least eight characters and a mix of character types (upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols). Change them every year.
2. Make sure to use WPA2 security (as opposed to the older WPA and WEP). Again, all Wi-Fi Alliance-certified 802.11n devices support WPA2. If you're still hanging on to older gear that doesn't support WPA2, it's time to upgrade.
3. Turn off automatic sharing on devices. This typically requires checking privacy and security settings within operating systems, which can be a hassle. But it's an important line of defense against unauthorized access to your information.
Yardena Arar is a regular contributor for AllBusiness.com.
