18-04-2012, 03:19 PM
Wireless Attacks and Countermeasures
Wireless Hacking.pdf (Size: 1.22 MB / Downloads: 36)
Wireless Network Technology
Wireless network refers to any type of
computer network which is wireless,
and is commonly associated with a
network whose interconnections
between nodes e.g. Laptops,
Desktops, Printers etc is
implemented without the use of
wires.
Wireless Network Technology
The popularity in Wireless Technology
is driven by two major factors:
convenience and cost. A Wireless Local
Area Network (WLAN) allows workers to
access digital resources without being
locked to their desks. Mobile users can
connect to a Local Area Network (LAN)
through a Wireless (Radio) connection.
Wireless Standards
SSID (Service Set Identifier): An
SSID is the name of a wireless local
area network (WLAN). All wireless
devices on a WLAN must employ
the same SSID in order to
communicate with each other. SSID
is also known as ESSID (Extended
Service Set Identifier)
Wireless Standards
• BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier): A BSSID is the MAC Address
(Media Access Control) or Physical Address of the Wireless Access
Point or the Wireless Router. This is a unique 48 bit key provided
by the manufacturer of the device. It can be in the form of
Hexadecimal i.e. 0-9 , A-F.
E.g. 00:A1:CB:12:54:9F
Services Provided by Wireless Network
• Authentication: This process proves a
client’s identity through the use of the
802.11 option, Wired Equivalent
Privacy (WEP). In WEP, a shared key
is configured into the access point and
its wireless clients. Only those devices
with a valid shared key will be allowed
to be associated with the access point.
Wireless Security Overview
Two methods exist for authenticating wireless LAN clients to an
access point: Open system or Shared key authentication.
1. Open system does not provide any security mechanisms but is
simply a request to make a connection to the network.
2. Shared key authentication has the wireless client hash a string
of challenge text with the WEP key to authenticate to the
network.
Countermeasures
Mac Filtering
An early security solution in
WLAN technology used
MAC address filters: A
network administrator
entered a list of valid MAC
addresses for the systems
allowed to associate with the
Wireless Access Point.