Companies have encouraged their workforces to be effective regardless of their location or the time of day, making wireless Internet connectivity the latest lifeblood of workforce productivity. These gains have been accomplished primarily by embracing Wi-Fi, which is not without added risk. Cyber spies and criminals have successfully targeted wireless networks for years, which in turn, requires increased vigilance both when deploying Wi-Fi networks and when training our employees to safely use Wi-Fi.
Hot Spots in the Parking Lot.Wi-Fi introduces unique challenges above and beyond those of wired networks that are important for senior leaders to understand in order for them to better identify, assess and prioritize risk. As the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) put it, “Perhaps the most significant source of risks in wireless networks is that the technology’s underlying communications medium, the airwave, is open to intruders, making it the logical equivalent of an Ethernet port in the parking lot.”