DOD's wireless safety net

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

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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