1. Secure your wireless access point. When a new wireless access point is setup, the first step should be to change the default password and restrict or disable remote administration interfaces.

2. Ban rogue access points. IT departments should conduct regular audits to ensure only authorised access points are present on corporate networks.

3. Don't broadcast your SSID. You should not use obvious values, such as your address or company name for your SSID. For corporate networks, the broadcast SSID's should be disabled completely.

4. Use WPA encryption instead of WEP. WEP (wired equivalency privacy) encryption has well-known weaknesses that make it simple for a malicious individual to crack the WEP key and access the wireless network. A more secure option is to protect your network with WPA (wi-fi protected access).

5. Reduce your WLAN footprint. By lowering the power of your wireless transmitter, you reduce the range of the signal. Although you will be unlikely to prevent all signal leakage outside your business, it will be possible to significantly reduce the opportunity for outsiders to access your network.

6. Authenticate users. Users should be required to log in through a virtual private net- work as if they were dialling in remotely when requiring access to sensitive internal systems.