net/Intranet systems. Up-to-date security measures and policies are critical in such an environment. Many corporations and businesses breathed a sigh of relief with the advent of wireless technologies. Many felt that these devices offered a higher security than traditional Internet/Intranet connections and devices. However, this is a myth because wireless applications have as many if not more security concerns than their conventional counterparts. As one technophile relates “In wireless we have created another gateway and somebody in that gateway has access to all the traffic. It doesn’t matter if the information is encrypted on your cell phone. If someone gets into the Internet, you might as well through the security out. It’s not the air waves that are the problem. It’s the gateway” (Giarraputo 83). As E-commerce increases, credit card companies like Visa are working on merchant security measures to help prevent fraud.
Hackers and crackers are capable of doing everything from roaming around like an unwanted intruder in your home to unleashing powerful and potentially destructive viruses that may ruin entire businesses, cause disruption and enormous losses to entire industries. As the most recent Computer Security Institute/FBI crime study relates, intrusion is becoming an increasingly common and costly form of crime for “online” corporate America, “The latest crime study revealed that 90 percent of the 643 security professionals surveyed detected breaches within the past twelve months. About 42% of the managers reported losses during 1999, totaling $265 million…about twice as much as the average annual total of $120 million from 1995-1998” (Yasin 19).
The first line of defense for most systems, either wired or wireless, are known as access security measures. These include the need for a Username and Password without which users cannot access the network, files, or Web site. Skilled hackers can...