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Through a release, the Wireless Broadband Alliance says their new security guidelines respond to persistent threats.
Edited by Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) has published a new Wi‑Fi Security Guidelines report aimed at tightening protections across public, enterprise and IoT networks and making large‑scale roaming more reliable.
Released April 14 from the WBA’s London office, the report lays out a standards‑based framework covering device authentication, encryption, credential handling, signaling, and federation governance.
Through a release, WBA says the guidelines respond to persistent threats such as rogue access points, credential theft, and signaling attacks that can undermine user privacy and operator operations.
The recommendations center on mutual authentication and lifecycle protections for credentials, including secure OS key stores and hardened identity provider systems. According to the document, these measures are intended to prevent “evil‑twin” attacks and passive sniffing while bringing Wi‑Fi closer to “cellular‑grade” protections.
The report does not stop at radio‑link security. It urges operators to harden the entire access network, from physically securing access points and encrypting AP‑to‑controller links to designing secure backhaul and local breakout architectures.
WBA President and CEO Tiago Rodrigues framed the document as a bid to align industry practice with user expectations.
“These guidelines show how proven standards and best practices can be applied consistently to deliver secure, privacy‑preserving, and interoperable Wi‑Fi experiences,” he said.
Industry partners quoted in the release stressed the operational benefits: Cameron Dunn of AT&T called the work essential for “trusted and seamless connectivity at scale,” while vendors including Boldyn Networks and NC‑Expert welcomed the push for clearer governance and shared responsibility.
Some AI tools assisted in the crafting of this report.
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