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Users key to Houston's WiFi security, firm says: EarthLink says individuals must be proactive to be protected
(Houston Chronicle (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jul. 14--When completed in the next couple of years, the city's wireless network will give Houstonians better access to the Internet, but it will also require users to take steps to protect themselves online.
The system will meet the latest industry security standards. And EarthLink, which will build and operate the network under contract with the city of Houston, will tell users to download security software the first time they connect to the network.
But it will be up to users to make sure they use them.
Failing to do so, say those involved in the network's development, could make users vulnerable to more spam or allow hackers to access their accounts.
For some that might mean outsiders see personal e-mails. For others it might mean hackers can get into bank or credit card accounts.
Ready by 2009
Atlanta-based EarthLink is investing about $50 million in the 640-square-mile wireless network that will span the city by 2009.
Users will have to subscribe to the service, and it will be password-protected and encrypted according to Wi-Fi Protected Access standards, as required in the contract with the city, said Jeb Linton, EarthLink's chief architect and head of engineering.
EarthLink also will provide subscribers with additional parental-control software and other programs to protect against spyware and phishing, but users will be responsible for installing them, he said.
"It's a matter of personal responsibility," said Karen Hanley, spokeswoman for the Austin-based Wi-Fi Alliance, a nonprofit that seeks to create uniform standards for all wireless networks. "The seat belts are in your car, but you have to put them on for them to work."
Although dozens of cities nationwide, including Philadelphia, Corpus Christi, Anaheim, Calif., and New Orleans, are in various stages of creating citywide wireless networks, they remain relatively new, which makes it difficult to say with certainty how secure they will be.
"The problem is there's not too many of these municipal wireless networks around," said Richard Lewis, the city's director of information technology. The encryption standards in wireless networks evolved from earlier standards used by the military and national security agencies, he said, so they are designed to be effective.
But Linton said he understands the newness of the technology leads to questions, and he welcomes them.
"Those who aren't convinced will be soon," he said.
EarthLink launched the Philadelphia network in May, and there have been no problems there, said Varinia Robinson, head of information services for the Philadelphia mayor's office.
"It's just as secure as a DSL or cable network," she said.
That might be true, but it's also something wireless users shouldn't take for granted, said Richard Rushing, chief security officer at AirDefense, a private company that advises businesses and governments on wireless network security.
Because firewalls and other security measures are usually built into cable and DSL networks, users might not realize they need to actively install them on a wireless network, he said. "It really can become a concern," he said.
Rushing said password authentication and encryption standards are "the best out there," but "I wouldn't say they're unbreakable. I would stand more on the side of caution than exuberance."
The city's contract with EarthLink requires the company to follow credit-card industry standards to protect personal information, as well as network security protocols "to prevent or mitigate the risk of hackers, spammers, denial of service and other forms of malicious attacks on or through the network."
The city's role
Even with a state-of-the-art network and a campaign urging people to install security software, the city will have to ensure the security process is simple, said Craig Settles, a Wi-Fi expert and author of a book on municipal networks.
That will be especially true for those who are new computer users, he said.
Part of Mayor Bill White's interest in creating the network is to provide Internet access to low-income residents who wouldn't have it otherwise. About 40,000 residents will get discounted service for $10 a month.
If those people haven't used the Internet much or ever, EarthLink and the city have a responsibility to make installing security software simple, Settles said.
"You have to educate people about what the threats are," he said. "You can educate them and educate them, and you hope it sticks."
Lewis said educating users is on the city's agenda but he acknowledged getting people to follow that advice could be difficult.
Settles praised EarthLink and the city for their proactive approach to security.
"I don't get any sense that that's an area where they're going to cut corners," he said.
brad.hem@chron.com
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