Summary

PDAs and wireless devices have certainly made lives more convenient. But as we have frequently seen in this book, with the benefits come risks to security and privacy. Those small Palm and handheld devices are easy to misplace and are susceptible to being stolen. Encryption is a must. Users should be encrypting sensitive data on any computer that is connected to the Internet, as well as handhelds, smart phones, and anything else that is not physically nailed down in the office. Encryption is one good way to keep the secrets and private information from walking out the door.

Wireless networking is an appealing technology. It is important, however, to note that we need to treat the potential of intrusion and data theft from wireless networks as seriously as we would a wired network. Many of the same precautions and security measures used in the wired world are also applicable in a wireless environment. Outside of the transportation medium (air versus copper), there is no real difference. The deployment of firewalls, VPNs, encryption, and hardware security, as well as the development of comprehensive security policies and regular network monitoring, are all part of an effective wireless security program. As more applications, such as purchasing and corporate communications, are pushed to wireless devices, maintaining privacy, message integrity, identity, and trust will become paramount. Wireless technology for home users is still a growing field. Because home wireless technology is still relatively new, some of its components are still immature in terms of security. The user of home wireless networking technology should be extra vigilant in watching and maintaining his security.