Govt To Chalk Out Strict Norms For Wi-Fi Security

With terrorists using open Wi-Fi networks to communicate, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Department of Information and Technology (DIT) are working out steps to check this practice.

Investigations into the recent bomb blasts at Ahmedabad and Delhi showed widespread use of wireless technology.

A DIT official said the department was in talks with the DoT and some action in terms of general guidelines, instructions and advisories could be expected soon.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is also looking at various measures taken globally to make such networks secure.

The discussion between the telecom regulator and the DoT also revolves around carrying a campaign by the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to educate their customers on security measures related to Wi-Fi.

An official of the cyber security wing of the DIT, the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), said the ISPs should provide features like passwords and their protection.

Open networks are easy to access as the most widely used default password for Wi-Fi open networks is 1234.

ISPs, however, denounce this point saying Wi-Fi routers are easily available in the market and it is the customer, who should take care to protect his passwords.

“Unsecured networks should be made secure by customers themselves for their own security. All an ISP can do is educate the user to be more careful with passwords for Wi-Fi technology,” said Rajesh Chharia, president, Internet Service Providers Association of India. (PTI)