Operational Support and Wireless Convergence

Features of a Stable and Secure WLANslide 5

• Scalable
  • Able to accommodate growth
• WLAN that has been designed from the outset to be secure and scalable
  • Will provide a solid foundation from which attacks can be thwarted and users can feel confident

Continuous Intrusion Monitoring and Containmentslides 6–7

• One of the most important elements in a scalable and secure WLAN
• Monitoring a WLAN can be accomplished via:
  • A standard network management protocol
  • A system specifically designed for wireless networks
• Dedicated WLAN management systems
  • Use discovery tools to continuously monitor the RF for attacks

• Other solutions for continuous monitoring of a WLAN
  • Wireless intrusion detection system (WIDS)
  • Wireless intrusion prevention system (WIPS)

Role-Based Access Controlslide 8

• Wireless authentication
  • Verifies that the person requesting access to the network is who they claim to be
• Access control
  • Mechanism for limiting access to resources
    • Based on the users’ identities and their membership in various groups
• Role-based access control
  • Easier to establish permissions based on job classification
  • Considered a major step in keeping a WLAN secure

Traffic Filteringslide 9

• Restricts network traffic based on specific criteria
• Basic types of filters
  • Address filtering
  • Data filtering
  • Protocol filtering
• APs can be configured to filter traffic
• Difficult for an attacker to circumvent

Strong Encryptionslide 10

• At the heart of any secure WLAN is strong encryption
• WLAN encryption options
  • Wired equivalent privacy (WEP)
  • IEEE 802.11i
  • Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)
  • Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2)
• A secure WLAN should use WPA2 for its encryption

Scalable Authenticationslide 11

• Strong authentication that has the ability to grow
  • Another essential element in a secure and scalable WLAN
• WPA Enterprise and WPA2 Enterprise models
  • Utilize IEEE 802.1x port-based authentication: Enhancing network security by enabling authentication and authorization at the network access level.
• RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service)
  • It has become the preferred scalable wireless authentication solution

Segmented Network Designslides 12–13

• Segmentation
  • Dividing the network into smaller units
• Wireless segmentation options
  • Wireless gateways
  • Wireless routers
  • Wireless switches
  • Firewalls
  • Demilitarized zones
  • Network address translation
  • Virtual local area network (VLAN)

Fast Handoffslides 14–15

• Original 802.11 standard
  • Did not specify how communications were to take place between APs
    • To support roaming users
• IEEE 802.11F
  • Specified information that access points need to exchange to support WLAN roaming
• IEEE 802.11r or fast handoff
  • Allows a wireless client to determine the quality of service (QoS) and security being used At a different AP before making the transition

WLAN Operational Supportslide 16

• No network functions on its own
• There must be operational support
  • To ensure its continued functionality and reliability
• Basic tasks
  • Monitoring
  • Configuration management
  • User training

Monitoringslide 17

• Monitoring tools for wired networks do not accurately detect:
  • RF interference
  • Jamming
  • Location of APs
  • Identification of unauthorized users
• WLAN monitoring tools can be used to identify:
  • AP settings
  • Coverage
  • Network performance
  • Security audit

Configuration Managementslide 18

• Controls changes made to WLAN after installation
• Types of changes
  • Applications
  • Coverage area
  • RF channel
  • Security
  • Transmit power
• Change request form
  • Outlines the requested alteration

Education and Trainingslides 19–21

• Computer users share responsibility for protecting the assets of an organization
• Users need to receive training regarding:
  • Importance of securing information
  • Roles that they play in security
  • Necessary steps they need to take toward attacks
• Training must be ongoing
• User awareness is an essential element of security
• Organizations should provide education and training at set times and on an ad hoc basis

• Opportunities for education and training
  • A new employee is hired
  • A computer attack has occurred
  • An employee is promoted or given new responsibilities
  • A department is conducting an annual retreat
  • New user software is installed
  • User hardware is upgraded
• One challenge of security education and training
  • Understand how individuals learn

• Learning resources
  • An organization can provide educational content in several ways
    • Seminars and workshops
    • Print media
    • Internet information
      • Can be used in a daily basis

The Convergence of Wireless Technologiesslide 22

• Convergence of wireless technology is most evident today in the blending of wireless LANs with wireless WANs
• Technologies supporting this unification besides WLAN
  • WiMAX
  • Cellular 3G,4G,5G

WiMAXslides 23–25

• WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access)
  • Based on the IEEE 802.16 standard
• Fixed WiMAX
  • Officially IEEE 802.16-2004
  • Provides up to 50 kilometers (31 miles) of linear service range
    • And is not line-of-sight dependent
  • Provides shared data rates up to 70 - 100 Mbps
  • MAC layer uses a scheduling system
    • Allows the base station to control QoS

• Fixed WiMAX
  • Application categories
    • High-speed enterprise connectivity for business
    • Last mile connection
      • Connection that begins at a fast ISP and ends at the home or office
• Mobile WiMAX
  • Adds mobility components to Fixed WiMAX
  • Allows users to freely roam both indoors and outdoors for kilometers while remaining connected

• Mobile WiMAX
  • Competing standards
    • IEEE 802.16e
      • Extension of IEEE 802.16-2004
    • IEEE 802.20
      • Would permit users to roam up to 15 kilometers and at speeds up to 250 kilometers per hour

1,2,3,4 & 5 Gslide 26

• First Generation (1G)
  • Transmitted at 9.6 Kbps using analog circuit-switch technology
    • A dedicated and direct physical connection is made between the caller and the recipient
  • Can only be used for voice communications
• Second Generation (2G)
  • Used circuit-switched digital networks
  • Digital transmission advantages
    • Uses the frequency spectrum more efficiently
    • Quality of the voice transmission does not degrade

2Gslide 27

• Second Generation (2G)
  • Digital transmission advantages
    • Difficult to decode and offers better security
    • Uses less transmitter power
    • Enables smaller and less expensive individual receivers and transmitters
• 2.5 Generation (2.5G)
  • Interim step between 2G and 3G
  • 2.5G networks operate at a max speed of 384 Kbps
  • 2.5G networks are packet-switched

3Gslides 28–29

• 2.5 Generation (2.5G)
  • Ideal for voice communications
  • Not efficient for data transmission
  • Packet switching requires that the data transmission be broken into smaller units of packets
    • Each packet is sent independently through the network
  • Data transmissions occur in “bursts”
• Third Generation (3G)
  • Throughput rates for 3G averaging between 400 Kbps and 700 Kbps

• Third Generation (3G)
  • Can be used for wireless data communications
• Mobile wireless data convergence
  • WLANs, WiMAX, and 3G may all be used together to provide wireless data services
  • WLAN hotspots continue to spread
  • Intel chipsets are available for laptop manufacturers
    • That incorporate WiMAX connectivity
  • “Road warriors” are installing combination 3G+WLAN PC Cards

4Gslide 30

• The 4G architecture basically build upon 3G or can say that it is a extension of 3G wireless technology.
• In 4G, the majority of the traffic is data and multimedia as opposed to voice only.
• Data rates in 4G systems will range from 20 to 100 Mbps.
• 4G LTE means fourth generation long term evolution. LTE is a kind of 4G that provides fastest connection to mobile Internet experience-10 times faster than 3G.
• The terms 4G and 4G LTE are often used by people interchangeably, but they are not the same.

5Gslide 31

• 5G is the fifth generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks which began deploying worldwide in 2019.
• Predicted to have more than 1.7 billion subscribers worldwide by 2025
• 5G service area is divided into small geographical areas called cells. All 5G wireless devices in a cell are connected to the Internet and telephone network by radio waves through a local antenna in the cell.
• The main advantage of the new networks is that they will have greater bandwidth, giving higher download speeds, eventually up to 10 gigabits per second (Gbit/s).
• 4G cellphones are not able to use the new networks, which require 5G enabled wireless devices.