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NIST issues new WiFi security guidelines

The National Institute of Standards and Technology says there are six steps agencies should take. NIST issues new guidelines for securing wireless local area ne...

Federal News Network Staff

February 27, 2012 7:34 am

< a min read

The growth of mobile devices across the government is causing agencies to look twice at how they can secure their internal WiFi networks.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology says there are six steps agencies should take. NIST issues new guidelines for securing wireless local area networks, or WiFi.

Among the security considerations, agencies should have two separate WiFi networks — one for employees and one for guests. They should have policies to determine the risk of having a laptop or other device connected to the network via WiFi and by a wire coming from the wall.

NIST recommends agencies should continuously monitor their wireless network for vulnerabilities and do periodic assessments of the technical requirements of the system.

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily Cybersecurity Update. For more cybersecurity news, click here.