Foundations of Wireless Security

Wireless in Our Worldslide 5

• Wireless LAN applications
  • Can be found in every industry whose employees need or want to conduct business without being confined to a specific location

Businessslides 6–8

• “Flatter” organizations
  • Employees are involved in team meetings that occur away from their desks
• Wireless technology
  • Has dramatically changed how and where business meetings take place
• Wireless LANs benefits
  • Increased productivity, time/financial savings

• Voice over wireless LAN (VoWLAN)
  • Emerging wireless technology
  • Uses the existing data WLAN to make and receive telephone calls
  • VoWLAN devices can forward business calls to their mobile phones during regular business hours

Travelslide 9

• Travel industry is a leader in adopting wireless technologies
  • Most airports provide wireless access hotspots
  • Some airports use wireless technology to keep track of passenger luggage
• Wireless PDAs now replace walkie-talkies
• WLAN technology is used to communicate with the aircraft

Educationslides 10–11

• WLANs are ideal for colleges and schools
• Educational institutions were early users of WLANs
• Wireless LAN connections offer teachers and students an important degree of freedom
  • Can access the school network wirelessly from almost any location
• Most schools publish maps showing the location of wireless access points

Health Careslide 12

• The health care industry has embraced wireless technology to improve patient care
• Wireless LAN point-of-care computer systems
  • Allow medical staff to access and update patient records immediately

Wireless Advantages and Disadvantagesslide 13

• With any technology, there are advantages and disadvantages to be considered
  • Wireless LANs are no exception

Advantagesslides 14–15

• Mobility
  • Primary advantage of wireless technology
  • Enables individuals to use a laptop computer that is always in contact with the network
• Easier and less expensive installation
  • Installing network cabling can be expensive
  • Significant time required to install network cabling
  • Wireless technologies allow creation of an office in a space where the traditional infrastructure doesn’t exist

• Increased reliability
  • Wireless LAN technology eliminates cable failures and increases the overall reliability of the network
• Disaster recovery
  • Many businesses use cold sites and WLANs as a major piece of their disaster recovery plan

Disadvantagesslide 16

• Radio frequency interference
  • Signals from other devices can disrupt wireless
• Health risks
  • High levels of RF can produce biological damage through heating effects
• Security
  • Greatest disadvantage to wireless LANs
  • Attacks on wireless networks: denial-of-service, stealing passwords, altering messages

Information Security and Wireless LANsslide 17

• Knowing how to defend a wireless network against a wide array of attacks
  • Begins with an understanding of what information security is

What is Information Security?slides 18–20

• Information security
  • The tasks of guarding digital information
  • Ensures that protective measures are properly implemented
  • Cannot completely prevent attacks or guarantee that a system is totally secure
• Characteristics of secure information
  • Confidentiality, integrity, and availability

• Information security protects devices that store, manipulate, and transmit the information
• Information security is achieved through a combination of three entities
  • Innermost layer consists of the products that provide the necessary security
  • Middle layer is people
  • Outmost layer consists of procedures

Difficulties in Defending against Attacksslide 21

• Factors that make security increasingly difficult
  • Speed of attacks
  • Sophistication of attacks
  • Attackers now detect weaknesses faster
  • Distributed attacks
  • User confusion
• Zero day attacks
  • Attacker discovers and exploits a previously unknown flaw

Why Wireless Security is Importantslides 22–24

• Unique challenges
  • Unauthorized users can access the network
  • Attackers can view transmitted data
  • Employees can weaken installed security protections
  • Attackers can easily crack existing wireless security
• Attackers can:
  • Steal personal data
  • View wireless transmissions
    • With freely available wireless packet sniffer
  • Inject malware

• Attackers can (continued):
  • Download harmful content
  • Cause loss of equipment
  • Cause violation of an ISP agreement
  • Identify “weak link” users

Wireless Standards Organizations and Regulatory Agenciesslide 25

• Three primary standard-setting and regulatory bodies
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
  • Wi-Fi Alliance
  • U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)slides 26–29

• IEEE
  • The most widely known and influential organization
  • Dates back to 1884
  • Establishes standards for telecommunications
  • World’s largest technical professional society
  • Technical, educational, and professional activities

Wi-Fi Allianceslides 30–31

• Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA)
  • Consortium of wireless equipment manufacturers and software providers, formed in 1999
  • Goals
    • To encourage wireless manufacturers to use the IEEE 802.11 technologies
    • To promote and market these technologies
    • To test and certify that wireless products adhere to the IEEE 802.11 standards

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)slide 32

• FCC
  • Controls and regulates wireless transmissions for use by citizens in the United States
  • Serves as the primary regulatory agency for wireless communications
  • Independent government agency that is directly responsible to Congress
  • Established by the Communications Act of 1934
  • Process applications for licenses
  • Represents US in negotiations with other nations about telecommunications issues

Wireless LAN Standards and Typesslide 33

• IEEE has approved several standards for wireless LANs
  • 802.11
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11a
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
  • 802.11ac

IEEE 802.11slide 34

• Standard for WLANs operating at 1 and 2 Mbps
• Specified that wireless transmissions could take place in one of two ways
  • Through infrared light
  • By sending radio signals
• Today infrared transmissions are generally used in specialized applications

IEEE 802.11bslide 35

• Added two higher speeds (5.5 Mbps and 11 Mbps)
• Like 802.11, 802.11b uses the ISM band
• Can support wireless devices that are up to 115 meters (375 feet) apart
  • Devices that are that far apart might not be transmitting at 11 Mbps
• Radio waves decrease in power over distance

IEEE 802.11aslide 36

• Specifies a maximum rated speed of 54 Mbps
  • Also supports 48, 36, 24, 18, 12, 9, and 6 Mbps transmissions using the UNII band
• 802.11a and 802.11b specifications were published at the same time by IEEE
• Supports devices that are no more than 30 meters (100 feet) apart

IEEE 802.11gslide 37

• Combines the best of 802.11a and 802.11b worlds
• 802.11g is backward-compatible with 802.11b
• Devices operate entirely in the ISM frequency
• Supports devices that are farther apart with higher speeds
  • Up to 115 meters (375 feet) apart

Projected IEEE 802.11nslides 38–39

• Known as Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output Enhanced WLAN (MEW)
  • Or simply Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO)
• Set standards for transmissions expected to exceed 300 Mbps
• Top speed of the 802.11n standard will be anywhere from 300 Mbps to 600 Mbps

Wireless Certificationsslides 40–42

• Certified Wireless Network Professional (CWNP)
  • The most well-known wireless certifications
  • Offered by Planet3 Wireless
  • Certifications
    • Wireless#
    • Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA)
    • Certified Wireless Security Professional (CWSP)
    • Certified Wireless Analysis Professional (CWAN)
    • Certified Wireless Network Expert (CWNE)
    • Certified Wireless Network Trainers (CWNT)

• AreTec
  • Promotes standardization in wireless technologies
  • Administers another wireless certification
  • Certifications
    • AreTec Certified Wireless Professional (AceWP)
    • AreTec Certified Wireless Developer (AceWD)
    • AreTec Certified Wireless Expert (AceWE)
• National Association of Radio and Telecommunications Engineers (NARTE)
  • Offers the Wireless System Installers Certification

• National Association of Radio and Telecommunications Engineers (NARTE)
  • Certifications
    • Wireless Installer Technician
    • Wireless Installer Engineer
• The best-known vendor-specific certification is offered by Cisco Systems
  • Certifications
    • Cisco Wireless LAN Design Specialist
    • Cisco Wireless LAN Sales Specialist
    • Cisco Wireless LAN Support Specialist