Microsoft offers new support for WiFi security

By Matt Whipp

Posted on 31 Mar 2003 at 17:23

Microsoft has announced a free download that adds in XP support for the new WiFi wireless security standard WiFi Protected Access (WPA).

The download, available at the Microsoft Web site, addresses security concerns over the WEP (Wireless Encryption Protocol) that was proved 'crackable' more than a year ago.

Since then, stories have abounded over corporate appetite for the latest wireless networks that have been implemented by default with security controls switched off, or with the flawed WEP protocol. Hackers have been war-chalking city pavements, where wireless networks extend on to the street offering free Net access and the opportunity to get hold of corporate data.

Microsoft's push for wireless networking with the likes of Windows XP Tablet edition and its promised commitment to Trustworthy Computing means it has to take concerns over wireless security seriously.

While WEP was not intrinsically insecure in principle, the way it was implemented left it open to attack. A single short encryption key is then expanded into a nearly infinite stream of keys to accompany the stream of packets, guaranteeing that encryption keys would be repeated. The WiFi Alliance's Wi-Fi Protected Access intends to address this and also puts an integrity check on the data so an attacker cannot modify packets of information being communicated. The standard also authenticates every user on the network and keeps those users from joining rogue networks.

'Customers tell us the wireless experience with Windows XP represents a huge leap forward in terms of ease of use. Yet, even with these enhancements, many IT managers are hesitant to enable wireless connectivity in their organizations due to security concerns,' said Jawad Khaki, corporate VP of Windows Networking and Communications Technologies at Microsoft. 'With standards-based Wi-Fi Protected Access, customers can have more confidence their data will be safer and more secure.'

Microsoft is also working alongside a number of other companies with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards consortium to ensure that WPA is supported on the new 802.11i wireless standard, allowing seamless upgrading.

Gartner Dataquest predicts wireless local area networks (WLANs) in the mobile PC installed base will grow from nine percent in 2000 to almost 50 percent by the end of this year, and the rate is expected to exceed 90 percent by 2007.