• Network Authentication
• Home Network Security
• Network Firewalls
• Wireless Authentication
• Authentication Services
• Authentication Protocols

Wireless Authentication

Wireless Network Authentication is part of computer network authentication. Authentication requires verification whether the server or the user as the case may be is authorized to transfer or access the data. Authentication also entails ensuring that the data that is moving across the network is being transported without any distortion, and can be reassembled in a way that the recipient can understand. Effectively, authentication is important for network security as well as data structure.

Networking standard or the OSI (Open systems interconnection) is followed across the world. When this standard for network was established, there were no specific protocols defined on how this is to be achieved. This led to development of many protocols. A level of compatibility had to be established amongst these. OSI broadly defined access to networking through some layers. Therefore, the words such as transport layer, and application layers are associated with networking. However, the demarcation between these layers is not very clear. This is the reason some protocols can access the host computer more easily than others.

Data in network may be transmitted or accessed through physical mediums such as optical fibers, or wireless medium. Technological developments in telecommunication field have led to considerable improvement in wireless networking. Wireless networking is special because they access layer 2. Effectively, this data bypasses the security systems installed for layer 3 and layers above it. Even wireless network encryption methods that are presently available are security risk. Encryption involves mixing up the data in an incoherent way and then reassembling it in a meaningful way. But this is not a foolproof method as yet. Because of this, more care needs to be taken while accessing network through any wireless connection. Failure to do so may result in substantial loss of data, breach of security, and monetary losses. Internet Service Provider is one point of Authentication of wireless network. Wireless networking, however, offers portability advantage. This means people can access Internet using their mobile phones, and laptops. Even application programs such as Windows XP can be accessed by through wireless, by configuring the computers.

The WPA serves as an upgrade and improvement over WEP. While WEP used a single key in order to check and authenticate data, WPA continually and randomly changes its keys. This makes determining the key much harder to do. The WPA encryption method provides a stronger encryption than WEP. Generally, WPA and WPA2 replace the first protocol WEP as the primary methods of network Authentication. The WPA2 offers much stronger, government-grade encryption to a network as compared to an WPA. It is similar to WPA, WPA2 also offers 2 versions: WPA2-Personal for personal use and WPA2-Enterprise for corporate use. WPA2-Personal protects the network by requiring a password key or passkey for authentication. WPA2-Enterprise requires a user name to authenticate against a certificate on a server.

Lastly the Virtual Private Networks or VPN. This allow the networking of 1 computer to a network of PC or network of PC to another network. The concept of VPN relies on VPN tunneling between 2 endpoints. When 1 endpoint connects to another endpoint for example, a laptop connects to a work big network through VPN a tunnel is created between the pts that prevents eavesdropping or data interception. VPN offers much secure access to other networks from outside the networks, but is very challenging to set up and maintain.