>> How secure is Web-based authentication when deployed with RADIUS, SSL and digital certificate issued from VeriSign in comparison with Unsecured Wireless Network ?
If you logon to a website that is using SSL, you can be reasonably sure that your connection to that website is safe (cannot be listened into or used by others).
However, if that website is used to verify your wireless network acces voucher, this does not mean that all further communications over the wireless network are automatically secure. This depends on the type of encryption that is used to connect to the wireless network. If the network is open, than all non-encrypted traffic can be listened into. If de wireless network is open, I must assume that the wireless network provider uses the HTTPS connection just to exchange the voucher information securely. After this, the ISP opens the wired network behind the wireless network for traffic from your MAC-address or ip-address. Other users - having special eavesdropping software - can see your non-encrypted traffic. If you use VPN or HTTPS for other connections, they cannot make sense of it. If you type a password over a non-encrypted connection, they can see that password. Specialized users can even spoof their MAC address and start using your wireless connection.
