Current Event – A Broader Look on Wireless Access Point Vulnerabilities
Wireless access points are a great technology – allowing a user the convenience of accessing the same wired network without wires. But the vulnerabilites and weak points that they produce can often be overlooked. Most people install these devices to extend their network to laptop or other wireless users, and can be secured if they are installed properly. But what if the installer is malicious? Anyone can buy a wireless access point for around $40 and install it themselves by plugging it into the wall ethernet plug they usually use. If this is on a cooporate network, which is usually a private one in which only employees from within the building can access their network, then installing this WAP opens up this network to anyone within range of the WAP. As noted in another interesting article regarding the subject, a disgruntled employee could install a wireless access point, hide it behind a file cabinet, and leave it there after they leave or get fired. Months later they can come back with their laptop and freely access the coorporate network from the parking lot.