Whitepaper: Keeping your retail wireless secure

Published on the 05/11/2014 | Written by Motorola Solutions


The introduction of wireless technologies has given opportunists a new way to access your retail network that isn’t covered by traditional security…

Many of the recently publicised data breaches in the retail industry have been caused by the exploitation of wireless vulnerabilities. Although retailers have been using wireless technology to drive business efficiencies for over twenty years, it’s only recently that sophisticated thieves have recognised the potential of an unprotected network.

These kinds of wireless deployments offer malefactors the perfect entry point into the network from which they can access and steal valuable customer information. Many retailers continue to rely only on traditional security systems such as firewalls, VPNs, and/or network segmentation to secure their networks but these defenses are no longer enough. Wireless intrusion prevention technologies are needed to prevent wireless attacks that can include the following:

Rogue access points
A rogue access point (AP) is an unauthorised wireless device physically connected to the wired network. A rogue AP can be installed by a careless employee/contractor or a malicious attacker. It is important to realise that rogues can show up on any network segment. Even if POS devices are on a separate network segment, rogue APs can be connected to these networks.

Identity theft
A hacker can masquerade as an authorised wireless device and connect to an authorised AP. Once on the network, all the rogue AP scenarios previously discussed are applicable.

Non-compliant access points
Wireless APs are frequently misconfigured. According to Gartner, a majority of all wireless security incidents will happen as a result of misconfigured devices.

Misconfigurations happen for a variety of reasons including human error and bugs in AP management software.

Denial of service
Hackers can easily perform wireless denial of service (DoS) attacks preventing devices from operating properly and stopping critical business operations.

FURTHER READING

Succeeding with online webinars

Guide to successful online events

May 19, 2020 | iStart

(And the tech to support them…)

How to know if your ERP solution is compatible with your growth plans

A guide for manufacturing and distribution companies in Australia and New Zealand…

Ten critical questions small manufacturers should ask before buying a cloud-based ERP solution

December 22, 2016 | Epicor Software Corporation

Looking at implementing new software or upgrading your current software?…

Business shine through cloud

Whitepaper: How your business can shine through the cloud

September 22, 2016 | Epicor Software Corporation

Understand common deployment options and know which questions to ask…

Whitepaper: The top ten reasons Epicor clients choose the cloud

Most enterprise applications are well on their way to being cloud based, and in the last decade the cloud has become the new normal for customer relationship management (CRM) deployments…

Post a comment or question...

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Processing...
Thank you! Your subscription has been confirmed. You'll hear from us soon.
Follow iStart to keep up to date with the latest news and views...
ErrorHere