http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/1007/news-wire-10-07-02.asp

By Christopher J. Dorobek and Rutrell Yasin
Oct. 7, 2002

A Defense Department policy released late last month provides what
security experts describe as a workable strategy for eventually
allowing the use of wireless communications within the Pentagon
without compromising security.

The policy calls for development of a Pentagon-wide wireless network
infrastructure, while also prohibiting wireless access to classified
systems. And wireless devices used within the Pentagon must
incorporate technology for securing such communications, including
authentication and encryption.

DOD officials, who last week renewed their moratorium on wireless
devices in the Pentagon, also have asked the National Security Agency
to develop a database of known security flaws in wireless technology,
according to a Sept. 25 memo signed by DOD chief information officer
John Stenbit and Howard Becker, DOD's acting director of
administration and management.

And officials will work to promote an enterprisewide wireless
knowledge management process to promote the sharing of wireless
technology capabilities, vulnerabilities and vulnerability mitigation
throughout the department, according to the memo, which accompanied
the policy.

The policy applies only to the Pentagon; DOD officials are working on
a wireless policy that will cover the entire department.

The policy "establishes a balanced approach for mitigating
vulnerabilities and security risks while supporting the responsible
introduction of new technologies into the workplace," according to the
memo.

Experts largely agreed with Stenbit and Becker's assessment.

"It's a conservative approach, but it ought to be conservative," said
Daniel Ryan, an independent security consultant based in Annapolis,
Md., and former director of information systems security at the
Pentagon.

"It's not Draconian," Ryan said, noting that the policy does not
prohibit wireless communications altogether. "It just says, 'Let's be
careful.' "

It's also doable, he added. Creating a vulnerabilities database, for
example, should not be a big deal for NSA, which already maintains
many databases of security vulnerabilities, he said.

Experts said the approach represents a viable framework for mitigating
some risks and, at the same time, ensures that the emerging technology
can be deployed throughout the workplace in a measured and responsible
way.

DOD officials recognize that the use of wireless technology is surging
and are developing a plan for securely integrating it into existing
systems, said Peter Lindstrom, research director with Spire Security,
based in Malvern, Pa.

It makes sense to not allow the technology to be used for classified
information, for example, but there are plenty of other ways to deploy
wireless technology, Lindstrom noted. "By no means has the Pentagon
banned wireless devices."

The end result is that organizations will want to look closer at the
risks involved in using certain devices and develop appropriate
policies.

Fortunately, the Pentagon does not have to build its wireless
infrastructure from scratch, said Tony Rosati, vice president of
marketing at Certicom Corp., a developer of secure wireless
technology.

If an organization has an existing security infrastructure - and DOD
does - it can build on that infrastructure and the existing security
standards to begin securing wireless technology, he said.

A virtual private network can be used as a secure tunnel into a
wireless network by using IP Security, a proven standard for
authentication, he said, and secure e-mail can be added using the
Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension encryption standard.

Over time, standards such as elliptic curve cryptography, designed for
smaller devices such as PDAs and wireless phones, will play an
important role in securing wireless technology, Rosati said. n

***

Safe Airwaves

The Pentagon's wireless security policy:

* Prohibits connecting wireless communications devices to classified
  networks or computers.

* Prohibits synchronizing with devices that have not been approved by
  Defense Department security officials.

* Allows use of wireless devices only in areas in which unclassified
  information is electronically stored, processed and transmitted. The
  devices can be used in classified areas when there is a documented
  need.

* Requires punitive action for employees who repeatedly violate the
  policy in a way that jeopardizes the security of Pentagon networks.

* Will be reviewed annually to keep up with technological changes.

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