Breaking Windows

Here is a great article by Adam Engst posted in this week's TidBITS that you should check out. Crackers, worms, viruses, zombies, trojans... it seems as though the promise of constant access and instantaneous communication through networking has been twisted in such a way that people are afraid in ways that few expected back in less-connected days. In large part because of co-authoring The Wireless Networking Starter Kit with Glenn Fleishman, many of the interviews I do end up working their way around to security, which I find somewhat depressing. For me, wireless networking is all about breaking down barriers - physical barriers - and I'm more interested in sharing connectivity than erecting virtual barriers. Nonetheless, there are very real situations in which security - often serious security - is called for, and in trying to help people decide if they need it, I've come up with what I call the three L's of security: Likelihood, Liability, and Lost Opportunity. This article will help you think about security in general and wireless security in particular; to learn more about how to address wireless security concerns, Glenn and I wrote four chapters on the topic in The Wireless Networking Starter Kit, Second Edition, available in both paper and electronic form....