Public Key Infrastructure

PKI is an effective way for a laptop user to ensure the integrity of the
wireless transmission as well as know who sent the message. PKI yields
the services necessary for the creation and deployment of public key certificates.
It gives applications the ability to benefit from secure encryption,
as well as the authentication of wireless network transactions,
while maintaining two important aspects of the connection: data integrity
and nonrepudiation.


The benefit of using public key certificates is that WLANs can easily
integrate PKI to ensure authentication, with the goal of keeping secure
network transactions. In fact, wireless PKI, handsets, and smart cards
all integrate effectively with wireless networks.

PKI is an essential element in maintaining higher levels of security,
as it offers stronger authentication user certificates. Authenticated
users can utilize those certificates with application-level security for
both signing and encrypting messages through “encryption certificates.”
When these types of certificates are “integrated” directly into the
smart card, you have a greater level of security and privacy protection.
However, if your security needs aren’t as mission critical as a government
project, then PKI may not be the proper solution to secure your
wireless network. The drawback of this powerful mechanism is that it is
very complex to implement, and there is a higher cost for both deployment
and administration. In addition, there are a number of added safeguards
that must be taken into consideration before it actually becomes
practical for users to adopt a PKI solution for generic wireless networking
needs.