Motorola Offers Remote Wireless Security Testing

Motorola said Aug. 18 it was introducing a new method of securing wireless networks with "active wireless security testing capable of evaluating every deployed wireless access point." The company said in a news release that the AirDefense Wireless Vulnerability Assessment solution "enables IT administrators to remotely find and secure vulnerabilities in their wireless network."

The solution also "automates regulatory compliance reporting, helping customers reduce operating expenses, streamline reporting and increase the resiliency of their wireless networks," Motorola said. The company also said in its statement, "By simulating active attacks from a hacker's point of view," the system "allows administrators to proactively [remotely] assess the security of sensitive systems on the wireless network, such as cardholder data systems."

"Motorola's long-standing history of innovation in wireless LAN and wireless security technologies continues with yet another industry first," Amit Sinha, fellow and chief technologist of Enterprise Wireless LAN for Motorola Enterprise Mobility Solutions, said in the statement. "Revolutionizing the method of conducting vulnerability assessments by providing a proactive and comprehensive assessment of wireless security without the need to send assessors to every site, the Wireless Vulnerability Assessment solution gives enterprises the confidence they need to deploy wireless in even the most sensitive networks."

The solution "enables security managers to validate the protection of their sensitive systems from users of the wireless network and would-be intruders." Its scan features let IT managers "validate firewall and wireless switch policies, while also offering unparalleled discovery options to enumerate multiple paths of entry to sensitive systems on the wired side," the company said.

The system is "an add-on module to the Motorola AirDefense Enterprise Wireless Intrusion Prevention System (Wireless IPS). Leveraging the same sensors used to provide wireless IPS functionality, customers can ... purchase a Vulnerability Assessment software license for each sensor deployed. ... Configured to run automatically or on demand, the assessments can be customized to target networks or devices to validate what should or should not be accessible from the wireless side," Motorola said.