Awareness of wireless security by home and business users

Abstract

There has been rapid increase in the popularity of wireless networks in both the home and the small office environment. However, with the convenience wireless networking brings there is also an added risk in terms of security. From surveys conducted in a number of countries, it appears there is still lack of awareness of the need for securing wireless networks and the level of security provided by the different wire less encryption protocols. With increasing quantities of e-Government services being available online, such as income tax returns, car registration and health-related services, it is important that the public are aware of the risks of submitting personal information on unsecured or weakly secured networks. This paper highlights the types of wireless encryption protocols available,the cost of using these protocols and provides recommendation for home and business users when us ing e-Government services.