Transcript Wireless Network

Wireless Security
Objective:
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Understand the benefits of a wireless network
Understand security risks
Examples of vulnerabilities
Methods to protect your network
Benefits of a Wireless Network
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Can be an extension to a wired LAN
Wired LANs can be at time, impractical, or
impossible
No wiring
Moving does not require re-wiring, network
re-configuration or cable drops.
Portability/Flexibility
Less Expenditures on relocation and initial
setup
WVA-Wireless Vulnerabilities
and Attacks
Wireless attacks fall under 4 main categories:
 Passive Attacks
 Active Attacks
 Man in the Middle Attacks
 Jamming
Passive Attack
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Eavesdropping: People listening and
monitoring your network
Network Monitor, TCPdump in Linux
,NetStumbler, or Airsnort, are tools used to
capture and “analyze” network traffic by “war
drivers”
“War Driving”
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The act of driving around looking for open
WI FI nodes
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There are websites and software that allows potential hackers to
get a map of open APs.
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Many sites/forums with thousands of users have adopted war
driving as a hobby. While many claim this to be solely as hobby,
your network may be at risk if a potential hacker discovers your
unsecured network
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Same sites and forums map your Wi Fi location on the internet..
Stats of found Wi Fi Spots
(wigle.net)
Wardriving maps available
online (wigle.net)
Wardriving map using Google
Earth
Active Attacks
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Insertion :based on placing unauthorized devices on
the wireless network without going through a
security process.
Spoofing: Cloaking SSID or MAC addresses to get
by security measures
DOS (denial of service): Jamming, flooding attacks
that prevent sites/networks from performing
efficiently.
Releasing Malware into Network: software with the
intent to cause harm to nodes/network. (viruses,
trojan horses, spyware, adware, keystroke loggers,
etc.
WVA-Wireless Vulnerability
and Attacks
MAC Authentication Spoofing
Most Wi-Fi WLAN equipment vendors include
a sublevel of rudimentary authentication via
MAC address white/black listing. Standard
tools can "spoof" MAC addresses which allow
any attacker to mask himself/herself as an
authorized client thereby gaining access to
the WLAN.
Man in the Middle Attack
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attacker will control the communication
between two parties by secretly controlling
both sides of the communication stream.
Attacker can use a rogue AP and “spoof” the
SSID to which unsuspecting users will log on
to.
WVA-Wireless Vulnerabilities
and Attacks
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802.11 SSID Can be Spoofed
The SSID used to identify an 802.11 network can be
trivially faked by an attacker.
If a client can be tricked into connecting to a malicious
AP then it may become vulnerable in a number of
ways: (a) it may accept an unencrypted connection,
(b) the malicious AP might be used as part of a manin-the-middle attack, (c) the user might be tricked by
phishing attacks behind the AP (e.g. a fake hotspot
signup page).
Jamming
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RF frequencies interfere with the operation of
the wireless network
Can be unintentional jamming: cordless
phones and other devices on the same
frequency
Not very common attack: A lot of work only to
“interfere”…The payoff isn't as great for
hackers.
WVA-Wireless Vulnerability
and Attacks
Falling victim to an insertion attack can prove to
be costly.
 Personal information is exposed
 Corporations risk losing money, personnel
info., client accounts, etc. (possibly lead to
lawsuits)
Security Measures
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Although there is no guarantee that your
network will be 100 % secure, you can
minimize the chances and, perhaps, even
deter a few “wannabe hackers”. After all, you
wouldn’t leave your front door open…would
you?
Security Measures
Avoid Misconfiguration
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Change ALL default passwords on your
router.
Enable WEP. WEP is disabled by default.
Avoid using DHCP if possible (especially in
corporate environment)
Periodically change Passwords.
Security Measures
Use Static IP addresses
 Avoid dynamic addresses assigned by DHCP.
(default setting on AP is to use DHCP)
 Corporate environment: Avoid employees bringing in
their personal, possibly misconfigured AP.
 Assign every node a private address so as to avoid
your devices from being reached directly from the
internet.
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Private IP EX: 10.192.193.45
Security Measures
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MAC filtering: Enable MAC filtering in your
router so that only specified computers can
connect to your AP
Reduce signal “leakage” by placing router in
an area where its radius covers only your
work space. (i.e. avoid the coverage including
front yard)
Security Measures
From a corporate standpoint:
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It is crucial to create an risk assessment
before incorporating a wireless network.
They should make security measures which
they have a need for, so that they can aquire
the proper hardware/software solutions
Security Measures
-continued
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Agencies should understand the need to
constantly having to provide upgrades, fixes,
and or patches, to maintain proper security.
No one protocol or encryption is 100% safe
or effective.
Conclusion
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An overall good practice for a personal or
corporate level, is to use common sense.
Educate yourself about the risks and
vulnerabilities, and make sure that you use
every security measure available to you:
Firewalls, encryptions, properly placed
APs, MAC filtering, etc.
Sources for further
Information
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NIST (National Institute of Standards and
Technology) http://csrc.nist.gov
http://www.networkworld.com
http://www.wirelessve.org
http://www.wardriving.com
http://wigle.net