Motorola Intros Wireless Firewall

As businesses rely more on wireless networks, companies are becoming more vulnerable to security breaches that can be damaging and embarrassing.

With this in mind, Motorola rolled out a wireless firewall Monday to defend enterprises from attacks. The wireless firewall will be built in to each access point, and the company said it's an adaptive way to secure businesses from the next generation of attacks.

Motorola said you have to think differently about securing a wireless network because there are so many access points. Typical firewalls of wired network were designed for the IP layer 3 and above, but wireless networks can operate at lower levels that are not inspected. Motorola said its wireless firewall inspects layers 2 to 7, which could protect from attacks like IP spoofing.

Additionally, the wireless firewall provides a clean separation between wireless and wired networks, which could be very important for retailers as this is a requirement of the Data Security Standards of the Payment Card Industry. Because of this compliance, stores could potentially have a handheld wireless checkout device that can securely transmit a customer's personal and payment data over the air, Motorola said.

There's also a location-based feature for enforcing a user's identity, or adding an extra security depending on where a user is trying to access the network. For example, a user in the manager's office may only have to enter one login, but the company could add an extra layer of authentication in public areas like a loading dock.

Motorola's wireless firewall will be available in March, and it will come as a software upgrade for existing Motorola customers. The company said the security feature will be built in to all of Motorola's future switches and Wi-Fi access points.