Wireless Security Guide: Introduction to LEAP Authentication

Introduction

The LEAP (Lightweight Extensible Authentication Protocol) is a communications protocol that was developed by Cisco for use in point-to-point connections and wireless networks. However, its security flaws became obvious and people quickly came to prefer alternatives.

In this article, we take a look at how this protocol works, the commonly-known issues with it, how it contrasts with other authentication protocols and what you must consider for the security of your organization’s authentication protocols.

Wireless Security and Network Management

Today’s advancements in technology have led to the decrease in electronic device sizes. These smaller devices are now portable and need to remain connected online for users on the move. This has introduced the need for secure authentication protocols that can enable employees to sign into their workplaces remotely and securely.

Today’s wireless security protocols are quite secure. However, there are some ancient ones which have long been known to be vulnerable yet are still in use. In this section, we’ll discuss network management, access controls and some commonly-used protocols.

What Is Wireless Network Management?

Wireless network management allows your organization to continue running as it scales upwards without choking the information technology infrastructure. In fact, there are already various discussions on what the next generation of wireless security will likely look like. Third parties have even come up with solutions that assist in managing your network by providing the following:

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• Centralized management dashboards
• Enhanced service levels
• Streamlined branch expansions and more

Cisco has developed a solution that can offer you this kind of service, known as Cisco Prime Infrastructure. More about it can be found here.

What Is Network Access Control?

Network access control allows you to have network visibility of your organization as well as define policies that determine how you can perform access management of users and devices (Read more...)