Networking UPDATE: Mobile & Wireless Edition--June 4, 2003

Networking UPDATE: Mobile & Wireless Edition--June 4, 2003

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1. Mobile & Wireless Perspectives - Automatic Rogue AP Detection 2. Announcements - Cast Your Vote in Our Annual Readers' Choice Awards! - Get Exclusive VIP Web Site Access! 3. Instant Poll - Results of Previous Poll: AP Placement - New Instant Poll: AP at Home or Work? 4. Resources - Tip: Speech Input to Windows XP Applications 5. Events - Security 2003 Road Show 6. New and Improved - Connect to Both Wired and Wireless Environments - Submit Top Product Ideas 7. Contact Us - See this section for a list of ways to contact us.

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==== 1. Mobile & Wireless Perspectives ==== by John D. Ruley, [email protected] Automatic Rogue AP Detection Mobile & Wireless UPDATE reader Jimmy Tharel recently inquired whether automatically detecting rogue Access Points (APs) in an enterprise wireless LAN (WLAN) environment is possible. In past columns, I've written about using scanning solutions such as NetStumbler to detect rogue APs. Such software is fine for a small office/home office (SOHO) user like me, or even for a small branch office, but not for an enterprise administrator who might be dealing with multiple locations. In such a scenario, the ideal solution would be software that inspects the data that your APs and routers (and possibly the wireless devices themselves) provide, then issues an automatic alert should an unauthorized AP turn up. Several software vendors have already addressed this need. AirDefense offers a product called RogueWatch, the specific purpose of which is to detect wireless APs. The product performs its job completely automatically, in conjunction with AirDefense's proprietary wireless Intrusion Detection System (IDS). For more information about RogueWatch, go to http://www.airdefense.net/products/roguewatch.shtm . AirWave offers optional wireless rogue AP detection modules as part of its AirWave Management Platform. The wireless modules work only with certain APs. For more information about these modules, go to http://www.airwave.com/marketing_docs/airwave_rogue_detection.pdf . Wavelink provides rogue AP detection as part of its Wavelink Mobile Manager product. Wavelink's approach generates a report of all APs within each mobile device's range, then compares this report against a list of known APs. For more information about this functionality, go to http://www.wavelink.com/downloads/pdf/wlmobilemanager_hiw_1002.pdf . Probably the most interesting development in this area--and the reason I decided to devote this commentary to the subject--involves Cisco Systems. As we go to press, the 800-pound gorilla of the networking arena has announced that it will offer rogue AP detection in fourth quarter 2003 as part of its Structured Wireless-Aware Network initiative. According to a Cisco press release, features will include "active detection, blocking, and graphical depiction of the location of rogue APs [and] alerts on security policy deviations." These features will be available in a firmware upgrade for Cisco Aironet 1100 and Cisco Aironet 1200 series routers. To read the press release, go to http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/prod_060203.html . The fact that Cisco is taking the rogue AP problem seriously is a reflection of the explosive rise of wireless products in the enterprise space. And you can see the value of enterprise administrators using 24 x 7 monitoring software rather than wandering through their campus with a scanner. (However, I'd still recommend a periodic check to make sure the monitoring software isn't missing anything.) I'm extremely interested in hearing from any readers who are using these (or other) automated solutions for rogue AP detection. I doubt Tharel is the only enterprise IT manager looking for a solution to this problem. As always, you can write to me at [email protected]. ==== 2. Announcements ==== (from Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners) Cast Your Vote in Our Annual Readers' Choice Awards! Which companies and products are the best on the market? Tell us by nominating your favorites in the annual Windows & .NET Magazine Readers' Choice Awards survey. Click here! http://www.winnetmag.com/readerschoice Get Exclusive VIP Web Site Access! The Windows & .NET Magazine VIP Site is a subscription-based online technical resource that's chock-full of problem-solving articles from all our publications. For a limited time, you can access this banner-free site at which you'll find exclusive content usually reserved for VIP Site members only. Only VIP subscribers can access this site after June 13, so check it out today! http://vip.winnetmag.com ==== 3. Instant Poll ==== Results of Previous Poll: AP Placement The voting has closed in Windows & .NET Magazine's nonscientific Instant Poll for the question, "Have you placed all your wireless Access Points (APs) outside your perimeter firewall?" Here are the results (+/-2 percent) from the 16 votes: - 25% Yes - 75% No New Instant Poll: AP at Home or Work? The next Instant Poll question is, "Where have you set up a wireless Access Point (AP)?" Go to the Windows & .NET Magazine home page and submit your vote for a) At home, b) At the office, c) Both, or d) Neither. http://www.winnetmag.com/magazine ==== 4. Resources ==== Tip: Speech Input to Windows XP Applications by John D. Ruley, [email protected] In the May 8 edition of Mobile & Wireless UPDATE, I described three ways to provide a UI for the Speech Application Programming Interface (SAPI) that's built in to Windows XP: Buy Microsoft Office XP, buy the Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP package, or download the free (but unsupported) Speech SDK 5.1 for Windows. Reader John Hays installed the Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP package, but he still couldn't find a way to dictate into applications. Although the package installs the necessary components, you still must configure them manually. Jeremy Moskowitz provides a good description of how to do so in "Speech Recognition with Windows XP," which you can find on Microsoft's Windows XP Expert Zone at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/columns/moskowitz/02september23.asp . Moskowitz devotes much of the column's space to discussing how to configure Office XP for voice input, but skip down to the “Training the Speech Recognition Engine” section. In this section, he provides details for configuring dictation into any Windows application, including Notepad--just as I'm able to do with the built-in (and thankfully preconfigured) dictation feature in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. ==== 5. Events ==== (brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine) Security 2003 Road Show Join Mark Minasi and Paul Thurrott as they deliver sound security advice at our popular Security 2003 Road Show event. http://www.winnetmag.com/roadshows/security2003 ==== 6. New and Improved ==== by Carolyn Mader, [email protected] Connect to Both Wired and Wireless Environments TRENDware announced the TEW-227PC, an 802.11b wireless and 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet combination PC card. The TEW-227PC provides a connection to both 10/100Mbps wired and 802.11b wireless Ethernet environments. The card supports three function modes: wireless LAN (WLAN) mode, LAN mode, and WLAN/LAN mode. Pricing is $59.99. Contact TRENDware at 310-891-1100. http://www.trendware.com Submit Top Product Ideas Have you used a product that changed your IT experience by saving you time or easing your daily burden? Do you know of a terrific product that others should know about? Tell us! We want to write about the product in a future Windows & .NET Magazine What's Hot column. Send your product suggestions to [email protected]. ==== Sponsored Links ==== FaxBack Integrate FAX into Exchange/Outlook (Whitepaper, ROI, Trial) http://www.faxback.com/w2ksponorlink ==== 7. Contact Us ==== About the newsletter -- [email protected] About technical questions -- http://www.winnetmag.com/forums About product news -- [email protected] About your subscription -- [email protected] About sponsoring [email protected]

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