Protecting a University's Wireless Data Network with the WPA and VPN Security Solutions

Many university information services departments have been gradually extending their wireless local area network (WLAN) coverage in order to provide wireless access to students, staff, and faculty throughout their campuses. There is a growing concern about security risks inherent with a wireless data network, such as loss of confidentiality, loss of integrity and loss of network availability (Karygiannis & Owens, 2002). According to a number of studies, the traditional wireless security services, based on the IEEE 802.11 standard as known as Wired Equivalent Protection (WEP) and commonly used in university’s wireless data networks, are hopelessly flawed and have failed to provide a robust security system to a wireless network (Sankar, Sandaralingam, Miller, & Balinsky, 2004). Designing a wireless security service for a university environment requires more comprehensive understanding than that for a public place, home, organization, or governmental office. The wireless data network of a university has to be very flexible so that it can support a variety of user behaviors from a number of different types of wireless terminals like in an open public place. In addition, the wireless data network must be capable of efficiently authenticating a user to an access point (AP) and vice versa, and to ensure that the user’s information and data being propagated in the air are secure. Thus, deploying a wireless network security based on the Wireless Protected Access (WPA) specification with Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology should be the most appropriate solution to effectively securing a university’s wireless data network. With the WPA and VPN security solutions, a university information services (IS) department will be able to satisfy the user needs by providing a strong wireless security to its users and supporting all types of wireless devices. In addition, the university IS department can increase its wireless data network performance by utilizing existing network elements, such as wireless APs and VPN equipment, and improving its network services, operation and management. And at the very least, while providing sufficient security based on WPA and VPN security solutions to its users, the university IS department can lower the network installation costs and thoroughly work on a smooth transition to the wireless security service based on the IEEE 802.11i standard, which is expected to be widely implemented in the future (Perez, 2004)