TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Westchester (NYC Suburb) and 802.11 Safety

Westchester (NYC Suburb) and 802.11 Safety

Danny Burstein (dannyb@panix.com)
Thu, 20 Apr 2006 18:40:53 -0400

[ excerpts ]

April 20, 2006

COUNTY TO REQUIRE BUSINESSES TO SECURE WIRELESS NETWORKS
Law signed by Spano is first of its kind in the U.S.

A groundbreaking proposal requiring local businesses to secure their
wireless networks to protect their customers against identity theft
and other computer fraud has just become law.

County Executive Andy Spano signed a bill into law today that mandates
commercial businesses that offer public Internet access and/or
maintain personal information on a wireless network to take "minimum
security measures." [1]

In addition, businesses that offer public Internet access must also
"conspicuously post a sign" advising customers to "install a firewall
or other computer security measure when accessing the Internet."

In a related effort, but taking another tack in combating computer
crime, the Department of Public Safety recently created the state's
first accredited Digital Crime and Investigation Unit. Two
investigators are now dedicated to searching the Internet for "techy
criminals" involved in identity theft, fraud (phishing), pedophilia
and cyberbullying. The unit will also recover digital evidence that
can be used by prosecutors in seeking convictions.

When the law was being proposed last fall, a team from the Department
of Information Technology showed how easy it was to find vulnerable
networks by taking a drive through downtown White Plains. Using a
laptop computer equipped with easily available software, they came
across 248 wireless hot spots in less than a half an hour. Out of
those, 120, or almost half, lacked any visible security at all...

rest:

http://www.westchestergov.com/currentnews/2006pr/Wifinew.htm

[a] closed quotation marks outside the period in original text

_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dannyb@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]

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