The overriding standard governing wireless network is the IEEE 802.11 standard. This set of rules was first developed for ease of use and the ability to rapidly connect devices. Concerns about security were not addressed in the initial standards that were published in 1997. Since then, the standards have had a number of amendments; the first of these with significant impact on wireless networking was 802.11b. This was the most widely accepted standard and was released in 1999.

As the 802.11 standard makes use of radio signals, specific regions have different laws and regulations that pertain to the use of wireless networks. In general, though, there are only a few types of security controls built into the 802.11 standard and its associated amendments.