GSM Technology

Article by Spec-India

GSM phones use encrypted technologies that enables secure voice and data transfer during calls. GSM technology uses an algorithm to make certain the authenticity of the caller and the integrity of the channel, even when you are roaming in a foreign country.The most fascinating, and potentially contentious area of wireless security is that concerning wireless LANs or Wi-Fi networks, these are quick becoming the connection technique of selection. Wireless signals do not recognize corporate or geographical boundaries and are only limited by the propagation configuration of the network. Even in an office environment you will locate tiny areas or “blind spots” where the coverage is really weak or non-existent. So, it is possible for the random surfer to “take place upon” on an individual else’s network. How can 1 protect against this happening? Wireless local region networks use spread-spectrum technologies – a technique that makes the radio signals hard to intercept. Most Wi-Fi systems also consist of a form of user logon and password protection. Of course, the spread spectrum signals can be intercepted with a reasonably basic wireless card and many networks do not correctly set up the password feature and will allow ready access to anyone. The fact that “employees” have to go by way of some form of physical security just before they can access the network only adds to the notion that wireless networks may possibly not be as secure as equipment manufacturers would have us believe. The difficulty with wireless security is essentially a technical issue with the way the signals are encrypted. The original wireless LANs (WLANs) used the Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP). This was then replaced in late 2002 with the Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). Essentially, WPA provided improved data encryption by means of the use of temporal key integrity protocol (TKIP). The TKIP feature scrambles the keys utilizing a hashing algorithm and ensures that the keys have not been tampered with. WEP only uses a static key that is seldom changed by users. This cryptographic weakness caused a lot of of the security breaches in WLANs since intruders could, with relative ease, generate an encryption key and access a wireless network. While WPA provides enhanced security features over WEP, not all industry observers are totally satisfied. A recent issue was highlighted with WPA concerning the use of poorly chosen passwords for a network. Criminals intent on compromising a WLAN can use straightforward dictionary software to overcome the system password. In fairness, this weakness only manifests itself when short, text-based keys are employed and does not signify a fault in the WPA protocol. WLAN manufacturers can circumvent this issue by incorporating the ability to generate random keys across the network and putting in place user requirements concerning the length and style of passwords. Microsoft responded to this prospective threat by providing a Windows XP download that alters the way the operating systems communicates with the Wi-Fi network – using separately generated keys for every system user rather than 1, albeit encrypted, key for the network connection.