Wireless Networking and Security

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Tutorial 8

• Wireless Networking and Security

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Objectives

• Explore the history of wireless communication
• Learn about Wi-Fi, MiFi, and wireless mesh
  networks
• Investigate technologies used in personal area
  networks
• Learn about wireless wide area networks and WiMAX
• Investigate wireless devices and wireless
  business plans that let you access the Internet

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Objectives

• Investigate security concerns of wireless
  networks
• Evaluate different wireless encryption methods
• Investigate security concerns of wireless devices
• Learn how to protect the data stored on a
  wireless device
• Learn about the different types of attacks on
  wireless devices
• Learn about the different types of attacks on
  Bluetooth devices

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The Evolution of Wireless Networks

• A wireless connection occurs when data is
  transferred to another location without the use
  of any wires
• In 1994, carriers created digital networks, or
  Personal Communication Service (PCS), where data
  was carried in bits at a rate of up to 14.4 Kbps
• In 1999, the first wireless connections were made
  to the Internet
• A personal digital assistant (PDA) is a handheld
  computer that can send and receive wireless
  telephone and fax calls, act as a personal
  organizer, perform calculations, store notes, and
  display Web pages

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The Evolution of Wireless Networks

• 2G wireless or second-generation wireless allows
  data transfer
• Short Message Service (SMS) is a widely-used
  service that lets users send text messages of up
  to 160 characters over a 2G wireless network to a
  wireless phone
• 3G or third-generation wireless networks offer
  data transfer rates of up to 2 Mbps and constant
  connections
• The availability of nationwide 3G service depends
  on the ability of the carriers to build the
  networks and establish partnerships with the
  manufacturers of the devices and hardware

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The Evolution of Wireless Networks

• Many carriers have transformed and upgraded their
  existing networks by creating 2.5G wireless
  networks that deliver faster transfer speeds and
  allow you to send files and access the Internet
• A wireless device is usually manufactured to work
  on only a single type of network
• 3.5G wireless networks or mobile broadband
  provide network connections of up to 10 Mbps
• 3.5 G wireless networks already exist in a
  handful of countries

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The Evolution of Wireless Networks

• 4G technology is expected to bring network
  connection speeds of up to 100 Mbps and deliver
  high-quality audio and video to wireless devices
• Cellular was the first industry to create
  wireless connections that served large
  geographical areas

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Wireless Local Area Networking

• A wireless local area network (WLAN) is a network
  in which devices use high-frequency radio waves
  instead of wires to communicate with a base
  station, which is connected to the Internet
• Wi-Fi or wireless fidelity is the trademarked
  name of the Wi-Fi Alliance that specifies the
  interface between a wireless client and a base
  station, or between two wireless clients to
  create a hotspot
• A hotspot is an area of network coverage

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Wireless Local Area Networking
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Wireless Local Area Networking

• The transfer rate of data is the speed at which
  data is transmitted from an access point to a
  wireless device
• An access point is a hardware device with one or
  more antennae that permits communication between
  wired and wireless networks so wireless clients
  can send and receive data
• The range is the physical distance between the
  access point and the wireless device
• A device called a dual band access point makes it
  possible to connect devices configured with two
  different Wi-Fi standards to the same access
  point

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Wireless Local Area Networking

• A multiple band access point makes it possible to
  connect any wireless device to the same access
  point
• Most new notebook computers and other wireless
  devices are manufactured with Wi-Fi compatible
  hardware installed in them and software that
  locates Wi-Fi signal and automatically initiates
  the connection to the wireless network
• MiFi is a small wireless device a user keeps in a
  pocket or briefcase that provides a
  battery-operated, mobile, personal hotspot for
  connecting Wi-Fi devices to the Internet

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Wireless Mesh Networks

• Another type of wireless local area network is a
  wireless mesh network, which is commonly used to
  extend the reach of Wi-Fi hotspots to an
  enterprise

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Personal Area Networking

• Personal area networking (PAN) refers to the
  wireless network that you use to connect personal
  devices to each other
• There are two major types of PANs
• Using infrared technology you can wirelessly beam
  information from one device to another using
  infrared light
• Bluetooth provides short-range radio links
  between electronic devices

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Personal Area Networking
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Personal Area Networking

• A piconet can connect two to eight devices at a
  time

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Wireless Wide Area Networking

• Wireless wide area networking (WWAN) makes it
  possible to access the Internet from anywhere
  within the boundaries of the WWAN
• A WWAN is a wireless network that provides
  network coverage to a large geographical area
• To access the Internet using a WWAN, you need a
  WWAN PC card for the device you want to use and
  an account with the cellular carrier that owns
  the network

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Metropolitan Area Networking WiMAX

• WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave
  Access) uses the 802.16 standards defined by the
  IEEE for metropolitan area networks
• WiMAX is similar to Wi-Fi because it uses radio
  waves, but it transmits at a different radio
  spectrum and provides a much greater range to
  create a metropolitan area network

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Metropolitan Area Networking WiMAX

• A metropolitan area network (MAN) provides
  wireless broadband Internet access via radio
  signals in the 2 to 100 GHz and 10 to 66 radio
  spectrum, with a range of up to 31 miles and
  speeds of up to 70 Mbps

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Metropolitan Area Networking WiMAX
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Using Wireless Devices to Access the Internet

• The best way to begin a search for wireless
  solutions is to begin with an exploration of the
  network youll use
• Most carriers offer specific products to work on
  their networks

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Security Concerns for Wireless Networks

• Threats common to all wireless networks
• Attacks that prevent the use of a device or
  decrease the networks bandwidth
• Intercepting information sent over a wireless
  network
• Hacking into a wireless device to gain entry to
  its data or functions
• Stealing the identity of an access point to gain
  access to its connected users devices
• Viruses, spyware, and other security threats sent
  in the form of files
• Using information entered by the user into a
  wireless device to steal logins and other
  sensitive information

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Wireless Encryption Methods

• Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is a security
  protocol for wireless LANs that works by
  encrypting data sent over the network
• When WEP is enabled, it encrypts the data sent
  over the network with a key, or passphrase, that
  is entered by the user

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Wireless Encryption Methods

• Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a standard that
  was developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance in 2003 to
  address some of the inherent weaknesses in WEP
• WPA provides better encryption than WEP

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MAC Address Filtering

• Each manufacturer of network interface cards adds
  a unique number, called a Media Access Control
  address (MAC address) to identify the device
• A wireless network can be protected by
  designating the devices allowed to connect to the
  network

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Disabling the SSID Broadcast

• When a wireless router or access point sends out
  its signal, it also broadcasts its service set
  identifier (SSID) as a way of identifying the
  networks name
• The SSID makes it possible for roaming devices to
  discover the network and enables you to log in to
  the correct network
• Wardriving is a malicious activity that involves
  driving through a neighborhood with a
  wireless-enabled notebook computer with the goal
  of locating homes and businesses that have
  wireless networks in order to gain access to them

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Changing the Default Login

• One of the most serious mistakes that home users
  make when installing a wireless network is the
  failure to change the default login for a device
• When you install a wireless network, make it a
  priority to change the default login and password

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Changing the Default Login
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Security Concerns for Wireless Devices

• The most basic security concern for the owner of
  a wireless device is theft or loss

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Protecting the Data on a Wireless Device

• Wireless devices are subject to over-the-shoulder
  attacks, in which an unauthorized person uses his
  or her physical proximity to your device to
  attempt to get your login information, passwords,
  or other sensitive data while youre working
• When working in a business facility, opt for a
  wired Ethernet connection whenever possible
• Setting a password on your device is another way
  to protect it

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Evil Twin Attacks

• An evil twin attack or café latte attack is when
  a hacker gathers information about an access
  point and then uses that information to set up
  his own computer to use the real access points
  signal to impersonate the access point
• When you use a free public hotspot, the data you
  send is not usually encrypted or secure and so it
  is subject to hackers using sniffer programs to
  illegally monitor activity on the wireless
  network in order to obtain personal information
  that you might transmit

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Security Concerns for Bluetooth Devices

• In Bluejacking the bluejacker sends an anonymous
  message in the form of a phone contact displayed
  as a text message to a Bluetooth device to
  surprise the owner, express an opinion, or make a
  social connection
• Bluejacking, although alarming, is mostly
  harmless
• To protect a Bluetooth device from a bluejacking
  attack, you can disable the devices Bluetooth
  feature so that its signal is invisible or
  undiscoverable
• Bluesnarfing occurs when a hacker with special
  software is able to detect the signal from a
  Bluetooth device and gain access to its data
  without the owners knowledge

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Security Concerns for Bluetooth Devices

• The worst security threat to Bluetooth devices is
  bluebugging, which occurs when a hacker gains
  access to the device and its functions without
  the owners consent
• Bluebugging allows the hacker to use the device
  to make phone calls, access data, and use the
  Internet
• Most manufactures have released patches to fix
  the security flaw that makes bluebugging possible

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Summary

• Wireless communication is rapidly changing
• WiFi, MiFi, and wireless networks
• Technologies used in personal area networks
• Wireless wide area networks and WiMAX
• Wireless devices and wireless business plans

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Summary

• Security concerns of wireless networks
• Different wireless encryption methods
• Security concerns of wireless devices
• Protecting data stored on a wireless device
• Types of attacks on wireless devices
• Types of attacks on Bluetooth devices