Security system for wireless local area networks

Security and privacy issues complicate wireless local area network deployment. For a wired network, certain levels of security are maintained since access to the physical medium is restricted to the devices physically connected to the network. Though wireless local area networks offer some built-in security features, security breaches are possible if appropriate precautions are not taken. This paper describes security issues related to wireless local area networks and presents a software approach for restricting and controlling wireless access. The system authenticates users on the basis of identity, privileges and access hardware by distributed software agents that implement the security policy and restrict unauthorized access