Wireless threats: Hype or reality?

Over 100 million wireless devices are forecast to be accessing the Internet by the end of 2004. That fact begs two questions: How vulnerable are we from the viruses of today and what practical measures can we take to be prepared for tomorrow?

At present, the threats that exist in the wireless world are minimal and relatively unsophisticated. Some vendors have already released commercial applications to address today's threats to wireless devices. To date, none of the threats have leveraged the full capabilities of the device operating systems or the evolving transmission platforms, e.g., Bluetooth, GPRS or UMTS (3G).

As wireless capabilities increase, so will threats

The true threat potential is not likely to be widely recognized until late spring to early summer of 2002, when a number of the technologies combine. As PDA operating systems, such as EPOC, Palm and Win CE migrate from the stand-alone device to the smart phones and wireless PDAs, we anticipated that consumers and enterprises will demand new applications. The transition from these once "dumb" terminals with limited functionality to feature-rich, flexible platforms capable of wirelessly downloading and running third-party applications will open the door for a full on assault.

Indeed, in the same way that standard applications such as Outlook and Windows fast became the prime target for hackers and virus writers, so these groups will soon begin to exploit wireless devices as they become more widespread among consumers. It is reasonable to assume that threats will one day range from virus-infected files being beamed between devices to full blown worms spreading via any and all communications methods available.

Are you prepared?

Wireless might be exciting, but it's going to be a while before the hype dies down and its true potential is understood. In the meantime, you should be thinking about your wireless security strategy. Start with simple steps such as deciding how you want to utilize this wireless extension to your business, what your minimum requirements are and what your expectations are for success. Ask your wireless carrier what it is doing and plans to do to protect you and your business from airborne attacks. Most importantly, before you rush out and spend your entire budget, ask yourself how vulnerable your existing infrastructure is today. Then, make sure you identify the right security partner who will help minimize these threats in the long run.

(The author is Director, Wireless Strategy Symantec Corporation.)