Making Wireless More Secure – Encryption and Accountability
Data security is of primary importance. With wireless technology anyone within range using the right equipment could eavesdrop and gain access to the wireless system and therefore, the wired network.
However, Information Technology Services (ITS) provides the Penn State community with a trusted computing environment using Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology. With a VPN-secured connection, users authenticate before using the wireless services and the wireless traffic is encrypted automatically. In addition, a VPN allows you to access Penn State resources that are restricted to Penn State IP addresses.
In order to access Penn State Wireless, users must download and configure a VPN client application on their laptop. The VPN software has been designed for ease of use — the one-time installation process is completely automatic. Once installed a user need only log in to Penn State Wireless using their Access Account user name and password.
With this authentication solution and user accountability, Penn State Wireless users can feel confident that the Penn State wireless network is secure and that their data transfers are safe while being transmitted via the VPN. However, both the sending and receiving computers must also have appropriate security safeguards.