Chapter 3

security of wireless local area network

 Wireless local area networks (LANs)
 use a Network Interface Card with an Frequency Modulation transceiver to link
multiple workstations.
 External antennas can be used to provide omnidirectional transmission between
workstations.
 Wireless LANs are implemented using any of three types of communications
technology:
 infrared, radiofrequency, and microwave.
 wireless LAN can be connected without any cabling in some configurations,
 the wireless LAN may also be connected to a wired network.
 Wireless technology allows the users freely to move without the restrictions imposed
by trailing cables.
1
 Cont’d…
 Networks can be set up without having to lay cable, which makes it much easier to
implement changes in the network configuration.
 Primary reason for the growth of wireless LANs is
 Its configuration flexibility in hard-to-wire locations
 ability to support mobile work forces.
 But wireless systems can cost as much as two-and-a-half times the amount per
workstation of conventional cabled networks.
 An Overview of Costs and Benefits
 Infrared LANs
 require no Federal Communications Commission (FCC)license
 are relatively secure because disruption of their required line-of-sight operation
will bring the LAN down. E.g. Electronic eavesdropping
 use limited bandwidth,
 are easily disrupted (e.g., they cannot transmit through walls),
 they are more expensive than conventional cabled LANs. 2
 An Overview of Costs and Benefits …
 Radio Frequency LAN
 Does not require line-of-sight transmission,
 it is easily intercepted.
 some products do provide encryption capability.
 It requires an FCC license.
 Microwave Transmission LAN
 a technology used to bridge LANs between buildings
 Use for greater distances as an alternative to using commercial telephone lines.
 It is less expensive than using leased lines and is not subject to phone company rate
fluctuations.
 it require microwave and satellite dishes at both ends, which are subject to city
zoning laws.
 Microwave transmission methods are subject to interception.
3
 Wireless network technologies share some general limitations
 Interoperability
 Interoperability is a problem with current wireless LANs.
 Different LANs use different technologies that are not highly compatible.
 Example, some vendors use the infrared part of the spectrum while others use the
radio-wave band.
 use the radio-wave band may operate at different frequencies with different speeds.
 FCC regulations vary for different vendors' products.
 As a response to this situation, the IEE 802.11 committee is developing a standard
radio frequency protocol.
 Given the diversity of interests and protocols currently being developed, it is
possible that no one standard will emerge.
 Instead, industry-specific standards may arise, such as one for retail and another
for manufacturing
4
 Wireless network technologies share some general limitations …
 Performance
 Performance of wireless LANs has generally lagged behind that of cabled LANs.
 Infrared LANs operate at or below 1 megabit per second (Mbps).
 Radio frequency LANs run between 2Mbps and 3.5Mbps less than Ethernet's rate
of 10M bps.
 Configuration
 Configuration limitations restrict the use of wireless LANs.
 Example, infrared LANs require line-of-sight operation.
 radio LANs can transmit through walls, most effective within a fixed area
 The wireless LAN may work well in one location but may not be recognized on a
network in another office.
 The challenge is to route a microcomputer's data to the appropriate file
server when the computer is continually moving.
5
 Industry Applications
 Wireless computing is slowly gaining broader acceptance as portables become more
prominent in business settings.
 In addition, the development of cellular technology has led to increased interest in
wireless LANs.
 wireless LANs experience dynamic growth only after a unique application is introduced
that is well suited to the technology e.g. Electronic messaging(e-mail)
 Wireless mail networks allow mobile users to communicate wherever they are without
plugging into a data port.
 Electronic wireless messaging is accomplished by sending a message from a network
through a gateway to a local switch, transmitting by satellite, from which it is
downlinked to a relay station, which in turn transmits to a stationary or mobile receiver.
 Wireless technology is being applied in d/nt applications such airline, banking, and
health-care industries.

6
 Industry Applications
 Recent developments which helps growth of wireless LANs includes:
 Hardware and software for notebook and laptop computers that allow access to host
systems over wireless networks.
 External wireless adapters that attach to a computer's parallel port, allowing even
those computers with no available slots to gain wireless access
 Cellular technology that allows the user to carry a computer from one cell to another
while the software automatically seeks and finds the next adjacent cell and makes the
connection to the new server, forging a link to the first server and maintaining the
logical link at all times.
 The development of a wireless LAN with transmission rates of 5.7M bps, which is
comparable to the speeds of many wired Ethernet LANs
 The recent plan by the Federal Communications Commission to allocate 20 MHz of
radio spectrum—which would not require a license—for use in wireless networks.

7
 Security Concerns
 Wireless LANs differ from hard-wired LANs in the physical and data link layers of the
Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) reference model.
 In attacking hard-wired LANs, a perpetrator would need physical access to the
communication medium either through the cables that connect the network or through the
telephone closet.
 A wireless LAN communicates through the air; intercepting originated signals in the air
requires more sophisticated techniques.
 airborne transmissions can be easily intercepted with readily available radio
equipment is simplistic and misleading.
 Many wireless LAN products have built-in security features specifically designed to
prevent unauthorized access to signals in transit.
 Decrypting an encrypted signal requires vendor supplied decryption devices and
decryption keys as well as the technical expertise to use them effectively.
8
 Evaluation of Security WLAN
 The three critical factors that should be considered when evaluating the security of a
wireless LAN are :
 physical configuration, type of transmission, and service availability.
 Physical Configuration
 use of wireless LANs gives the user more flexibility in changing the configuration of
terminals.
 But from the security perspective, the flexibility provides more avenues of potential
attack.
 Intruders can intercept wireless transmissions without having to physically access of the
office in which the network is located. But such access depends on how the wireless
LAN is configured.
 For example, if designed correctly, an in-office wireless LAN should limit the range of
access to the office area. 9
 evaluation of Security WLAN
 On the other hand, a network designed to communicate between buildings is more
susceptible to potential intruders because the range of possible interception is much
wider.
 The intruder must also be able to decipher the signal.
 It is important to recognize that the coverage area in a wireless network is not defined by
distance alone but also by signal levels and cochannel interference as well.
 A wireless LAN may also be used to extend an existing hard-wired LAN rather than to
replace it; this may add further complexity to the overall architecture

10
 Types of Transmission
 There are three types of wireless LAN technologies: infrared ( light and laser beam),
radio frequency(spread spectrum), and microwave and has its own own security
exposures.
 There are three popular wireless LAN products on the market utilizing these different
technologies.
 E.g. The BICC Communications InfraLAN uses infrared, the NCR Corp. WaveLAN
uses spread spectrum, and the Motorola Altair uses microwave technology.
 Infrared communications require line-of-sight transmission over a limited bandwidth.
 For example, InfraLAN uses an optical wavelength of 870 nanometers;
 Its range between nodes is up to 20 meter. Hence, a potential intruder must be in the
office within the specified range and must be in a line-of-sight path
 can be easily achieved only by insiders
11
 Types of transmission (Infrared )….
 It is not licensed by the Federal Communications Commission.
 This increases the possibility of unauthorized use and potential interference.
 due to limited distance between nodes and the line-of-sight requirement, infrared-based
wireless LANs are considered relatively secure.
 Radio Frequency.
 radio frequency transmissions can pass through walls and partitions, radio frequency
networks must usually be kept on the same floor
 B/c line-of-sight transmission is not required, transmitted data can be more readily
intercepted
 some products have incorporated encryption capabilities
 By sending data over several frequencies, spread-spectrum transmission minimizes
the possibility of eavesdropping
 RF based LANs currently use frequencies in the range of 902 MHz to 928 MHz 12
 Types of transmission( Radio frequency)…
 The drawback of frequencies is that they are also used by television, VCR extenders, and
antitheft devices in stores.
 In such case the network may be disrupted and radio signal is affected by noise and
interference.
 WaveLAN is one product that uses spread-spectrum technology.
 In an open environment, it can cover a range of 240 meters, and in a semiclosed
environment, it can cover a range of 74 meters.
 B/c radio technology is well understood by many professionals, it may more susceptible
to attempts at unauthorized access.
 can be mitigated by implementing security mechanisms such as encryption and access
controls.
 IEEE 802.11committee is trying to design standard radio frequency for use in network
transmissions
13
 Types of transmission(Microwave)…
 Microwave is a communications technology used to connect LANs between buildings
and over greater distances than infrared or radio frequency technologies.
 Altair uses microwave technology which compatible with existing cable-based
standards, protocols, and communication speeds, and can complement, replace, or extend
such networks as token ring and Ethernet networks.
 One of Altair's strengths is its transparent operation with Ethernet architecture and such
Network Operating System as Novell NetWare and Microsoft LAN Manager.
 Altair utilizes the FCC-licensed 18GHz frequencies, and it can cover a range of 5,000
square feet.
 To coordinate the use of separate frequencies, Motorola has established a centralized
Altair Frequency Management Center to ensure agreement with FCC regulations.
 Altair provides two built-in security features:
 data scrambling and restricted access.
14
 Types of transmission(Microwave)…
 The data scrambling feature scrambles data between the control module and the user
module.
 The restricted access feature, which is incorporated into Altair's Time-Division
Multiplexing architecture, allows access only to user modules whose 12-digit IEEE
802.33 Ethernet addresses have been entered into the control module's registration table.
 Because microwave use is FCC-licensed and is monitored, it is considered the most
secure system.
 As one might expect, potential intruders tend to avoid regulated environments for fear of
being caught and accused

15
 Service Availability
 Service availability can be thought of in terms of the dial tone one gets when picking up
a phone
 The absence of a dial tone can be the result of equipment failure, a busy circuit, or a poor
signal.
 Service availability has three components: signal availability, circuit availability, and
equipment availability.
 To tap the network using unauthorized terminal connections, the perpetrator must obtain
an adequate signal, an available circuit, and the right equipment.
 If any of the three components of service availability is missing, access to a wireless
LAN cannot be completed.
 However, having service availability does not automatically mean getting successful
access to the network.
 Since there are factors such as network architecture and network security mechanisms
affect the potential success of access attempts. 16
 Service Availability(Signal Availability)…
 In a radio frequency system, signal availability has to do with:
 sufficient radio energy reaching the receiver to produce an acceptable bit-error rate in
the demodulated signal.
 In an infrared system, the receiving unit must be in the line of sight of the beam.
 Signal availability directly relates to distance; as a node is placed beyond the effective
range, the signal becomes unavailable.
 Circuit Availability
 usually depends on cochannel interference and adjacent channel interference.
 Cochannel interference occurs when two transmissions on the same carrier frequency
reach a single receiver.(The ratio of the carrier to interference is called the carrier to-
interference ratio.)
 Adjacent channel interference occurs when energy from the modulated carrier
spreads into the adjacent channels.
17
 Service Availability(Circuit Availability)…
 The Motorola Frequency Management Center maintains a central data base that tracks
the location and frequency of each Altair module in the US to lessen the possibility of
interference.
 One tactic of intruders is to locate the carrier frequency and purposely jam the receiver to
prevent other transmissions from accessing the receiver.
 Equipment Availability
 the availability of appropriate equipment for a particular network.
 In the case of wireless LANs, special equipment and connectors may be required to
access the network.
 E.g. equipment proprietary to Altair is needed to access an Altair network.
 Therefore, an intruder cannot use a typical scanner to access and compromise the
network.
 In addition, this equipment must be connected to the Altair LAN by means of ThinNet T
18
connectors with terminators, which are also unique to Altair.
 Wireless Network Controls
 Security of a wireless LAN depends on two factors:
 protective security mechanisms and audit mechanisms
 Protective Security Mechanisms
 Several mechanisms can be used to provide security services in a network: encryption,
cryptographic , source authentication, peer-to-peer authentication, and access control
identified by ISO –OSI model reference.
 Source authentication is the process of providing assurance about the source of
information, sometimes called identity authentication or origin authentication.
 peer-to-peer authentication to allow a remote client computer (peer) to connect to another
client computer (authenticator) within the same corporate network. The authenticator
temporarily blocks inbound TCP and UDP traffic from the remote computer until the
remote computer passes the Host Integrity check
 Host Integrity ensures that client computers are protected and compliant with your
company's security policies 19
 Wireless Network Controls(encryption)
 In wireless LANs, encryption and access control are the two most widely used methods
of security
 three common techniques of encryption are link, end-to-end, and Application encryption.
 link encryption :encrypts and decrypts information at each physical link until arrival at its
final destination
 end-to-end encryption: encrypts the information throughout the network and decrypts it
at the receiving location.
 system of communication where only the communicating users can read the message
 Link encryption is more secure if the information is being transmitted by means of
several physical links because multiple keys are required to decipher the information.
 Application encryption: encrypts information at the application level.
 Among wireless LAN products that offer encryption, Altair uses end-to-end encryption to
scramble data sent between the control module and the user module
20
 Wireless Network Controls(Access Controls).
 Access controls are used to identify network users and authorize or deny access
according to prescribed guidelines.
 Some LAN operating systems use the workstation ID stored in Network Interface Card,
which the LAN operating system checks at log-on time.
 Any workstation attempting to access the network without the correct ID is disconnected
from the network.
 Another way of providing access control is by means of a user registration table.
 For example, Altair requires that the 12-digit Ethernet addresses of all authorized users be
entered into the control module's registration table.
 Any user whose code has not been so entered is denied access to the network.
 This feature is effective in restricting potential perpetrators from gaining network access

21
 Audit Mechanisms
 To maintain a secure wireless LAN, a security audit should be performed in addition to
ongoing monitoring activities.
 The security audit of a wireless LAN requires the examination of security policy,
security protection mechanisms, and security administration.
 Security Policy.
 It is governs the overall activities of the network. Without an effective policy, it is
difficult to enforce protection.
 A security policy should specifically address the policy for accessing the wireless LAN.
Such as who is authorized to access the network, under what circumstances and what
capacity, and when access is permitted.
 The policy should establish the rules for moving workstations to ensure proper
monitoring of each physical access point.
 The security manager should ensure that this policy is communicated to all network
users and that it is adopted by them 22
 Audit Mechanisms …
 Security Protection.
 Securing a wireless LAN requires constant physical and logical protection.
 Physical protection involves securing the physical devices from unauthorized access such
as normal security housekeeping as providing a secure room to house the computer
devices.
 Logical protection usually requires access controls and data encryption.
 It is crucial that all built-in security features be fully implemented; add-on security
products (e.g., end-to-end encryption devices) should be considered as necessary.

23
 Audit Mechanisms …
 Security Administration
 Without proper enforcement, security policy and protective devices provide false
assurance about the organization's level of information security.
 Therefore, it is important that one or more individuals be designated to act as a security
administrator.
 The security administrator is responsible for ensuring that the organization's security
policy is implemented and that all applicable security features are fully and correctly
used.
 Strict enforcement of security policy and procedures is particularly important in a
wireless LAN environment because of the relative ease with which users can change the
composition of the network.

24
 End of chapter 3

==========Thank you =============

25