{"id":6225,"date":"2019-03-04T12:00:03","date_gmt":"2019-03-04T19:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jumpcloud.com\/blog\/?p=6225"},"modified":"2024-11-08T18:07:19","modified_gmt":"2024-11-08T23:07:19","slug":"best-practices-for-wifi-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jumpcloud.com\/blog\/best-practices-for-wifi-security","title":{"rendered":"The 4 Best Practices for WiFi Network Security"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The move to WiFi networks had a profound impact on IT organizations and end users alike. When organizations began to leverage WiFi, they found that it created a good deal of flexibility for users to work wherever they wanted within an organization\u2019s campus. From that shift, many additional benefits became apparent. There were increases in agility, productivity, and morale. Users were no longer forced into working from their desk or conference rooms where network drops resided. But, WiFi has always presented a security risk. So, this post aims to provide the best practices for <\/span>WiFi security<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why WiFi Security Matters<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many IT admins will counter that key servers and applications are <\/span>moving to the cloud<\/span><\/a>, so there is nothing of value on the wireless network. This sentiment belies a simple truth. Your end users\u2019 systems are on the WiFi network. If a hacker can directly access your users\u2019 systems, they have a chance to break through to other IT resources. Even with key applications and pieces of infrastructure moving to the cloud, the system is still the gateway to the IT resources your users utilize daily. For that reason and more, we will now provide you with some best practices. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Four Best Practices for WiFi Security<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For years now, a lax approach to WiFi security has been the norm. But, with modern innovations and knowledge, there is no longer any reason not to employ the best practices in WiFi security. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is always better to fix your security weaknesses before they\u2019re exposed, not after.<\/b> With that in mind, here are the key steps to significantly step up your WiFi security. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Choose a Wise SSID Name <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Make sure that your SSID doesn\u2019t call attention to your organization.<\/b> Sounds simple enough, but organizations make their networks known to attackers all the time. And, when the organization is in a densely populated area, that just increases the chances of getting hacked even more. Even with an innocuous SSID, hackers can, and probably will, keep looking for your WiFi network\u2014and they just may find it. But, having an innocuous name does add to the level of difficulty that an attacker would have to overcome in order to break into the network. So, while not a \u201cmust have,\u201d selecting SSIDs that are banal certainly helps to <\/span>promote good WiFi security<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Separate Your Private Network from Your Guest Network<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You should not allow any guests onto your private corporate network. It is easy to create <\/span>a separate network for your guests in your wireless access points (WAPs) and then <\/span>provide them a passphrase when they visit your office. In a best-case scenario, you<\/span>would have a system that generates unique access for them. Ultimately, that is really<\/span>more of a bonus than an outright requirement. The essential, required portion of this step<\/span> is very simple: <\/span>keep your production network separate from your network for <\/b>guests.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Uniquely Connect Users to Your Wireless Network<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A great\u00a0item for WiFi security is to uniquely authenticate each user to your wireless network via WiFi access management<\/a>. This is how wired networks function, and it has been highly successful from a security standpoint. That unique access should carry over to the WiFi network. The reason that organizations have stopped short of this approach is due to the level of effort. Providing authenticated access to the WiFi network requires IT organizations to implement <\/span>RADIUS servers<\/span><\/a> and connect those to a central directory service. Many organizations have neither of these solutions and very little, if any, time to implement them. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With modern SaaS-based solutions, both directory services and <\/span>RADIUS<\/span><\/a> can be delivered as-a-service, thereby relieving IT from the heavy lifting of installation, configuration, and management. IT admins simply point their WAPs to the cloud RADIUS servers while the rest is taken care of by the <\/span>Directory-as-a-Service<\/span><\/a> (DaaS) platform. IT organizations get a network that only the right people can access. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Per User (or Group) Network Segmentation with VLANs<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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