With Wireless Networking, no cables or wires are needed to network your computers and share your Internet connection. Wi-Fi connects computers, printers, video camera's and game consoles into a fast Ethernet network via microwaves.
The IEEE 802.11 specifications are wireless standards that specify an "over-the-air" interface between a wireless client and a base station or access point, as well as among wireless clients.
The 802.11 Wireless LAN standards can be compared to the IEEE 802.3 standard for Ethernet for wired LANs.
IEEE 802.11 Wireless Standards
- IEEE 802.11 - The original 2 Mbit/s, 2.4 GHz standard
- IEEE 802.11a - 54 Mbit/s, 5 GHz standard (1999, shipping products in 2001)
- IEEE 802.11b - Enhancements to 802.11 to support 5.5 and 11 Mbit/s (1999)
- IEEE 802.11d - International (country-to-country) roaming extensions
- IEEE 802.11e - Enhancements: QoS, including packet bursting
- IEEE 802.11f - Inter-Access Point Protocol (IAPP)
- IEEE 802.11g - 54 Mbit/s, 2.4 GHz standard (backwards compatible with b) (2003)
- IEEE 802.11h - 5 GHz spectrum, Dynamic Channel/Frequency Selection (DCS/DFS) and Transmit Power Control (TPC) for European compatibility
- IEEE 802.11i - Enhanced security (ratified 24 June 2004)
- IEEE 802.11j - Extensions for Japan: 4.9 GHz - 5 GHz Operation
- IEEE 802.11k - Radio resource measurement enhancements
- IEEE 802.11n - Higher throughput improvements: 100+ Mbit/s, based on multiple-input, multiple-output (mimo)
- IEEE 802.11p - WAVE - Wireless Access for the Vehicular Environment (such as passenger cars)
- IEEE 802.11r - Fast Roaming/Fast BSS Transition, makes it easier to use wireless VoIP and other real-time interactive applications
- IEEE 802.11s - ESS Mesh Networking, extends WLAN range by allowing data to pass through wireless nodes bringing coverage beyond the typical WLAN connectivity limit
- IEEE 802.11t - Wireless Performance Prediction (WPP) - test methods and metrics
- IEEE 802.11u - Interworking with non-802 networks (e.g., cellular)
- IEEE 802.11v - Wireless network management
- IEEE 802.11w - Protected Management Frames
Source: Wikipedia |
A lot of technical information about IEEE Wireless Standards can be found on the official IEEEWireless Standards Zone website.
 Related Reading
 Wireless LAN Explained
Wireless LAN Articles & Links
Wireless LAN Antenna Howto
Wireless Hotspot Locations
Wireless LAN related RFCs
Related Software Tools
WiFi Software
Professional 2.4 GHz Antennas
Buy wi-fi gear at wardrive.net
Linksys Wireless LAN
D-Link Wireless LAN
Netgear Wireless LAN
Garmin GPS & Navigation
TomTom GPS & Navigation
|
Wardriving / 802.11 Security
|
"Every evening I see the neighbor kid sitting at the end of the driveway with his laptop for hours on end. He looks at our house frequently and kind of freaks me out. It makes me wonder, is he hijacking our high-speed Internet through our wireless network?"
On this website you will learn what wardriving is and how to secure your Wireless LANagainst War Drivers.
Wardriving is driving around a city searching for the existence of Wireless LAN (802.11) Networks. It's locating and logging wireless access points while in motion. Often, this task is automated using dedicated wardriving software and a GPS Device.
Wardriving was invented by Peter Shipley and is now commonly practiced by hobbyists, hackers and security analysts worldwide.
Now, how to protect your Wireless Network from Wardrivers? Here are some "best practice" policies to consider. Some are simple, some are advanced. Anyway, don't wait until complete strangers are abusing your network. Be wise, act now.
Quick Wireless LAN Security
Checklist from Wardrive.net (***)
Things you can do to secure your wireless network.
- Change the default Admin password on your Access Point (this includes the webinterface).
- Check if the firmware for your Wireless Access Point and drivers for your Wireless Adapter(s) are up to date. Update if necessary. Keep checking for new releases in the future.
- Use a high level of encryption (WPA2/802.11i strongly preferred) -- Use decent keys.
- Authenticate wireless users with protocols like 802.1X, RADIUS, EAP (including EAP-PAX,EAP-PSK, EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS, EAP-FAST, EAP-POTP, EAP-IKEv2, EAP-GPSK, PEAP, and EAP-SIM). These protocols support authentication credentials that include digital certificates, usernames and passwords, secure tokens, and SIM secrets.
- Use strong encryption for all (userland) applications you use over the wireless network, e.g., use SSH and TLS/HTTPS.
- Encrypt wireless traffic using a VPN (Virtual Private Network), e.g. using IPSEC or other VPN solutions.
- Use WLAN Security Tools for securing the wireless network. This software is specifically designed for securing 802.11 wireless networks.
- Create a dedicated segment for your Wireless Network, and take additional steps to restrict access to this segment.
- Use a proxy with access control for outgoing requests (web proxy, and others).
- Regularly TEST the security of your wireless network, using the latest Wardriving Tools (the same tools the attacker will use). Don't use these tools on other networks, and always check local laws and regulations before using any wardriving tools.
- Enable strict (sys)logging on all devices, and check your (wireless) log files regularly to see if your security policy is still adequate.
- (only provides very little security) -
Enable MAC address filtering on your Access Point. Note that MAC addresses can be changed easily by the attacker.
(***) Note carefully
The steps mentioned above are not in a particular order of importance. It's not always necessary to implement all steps, pick whatever is reasonable for your situation.
Wireless LAN Security (and Network Security in general) is more than just following "simple steps". Be sure that you understand the risks while using wireless networking equipment in your home or office.
Basic and advanced information about Wireless Networking and Wireless Security can be found on this website.
Final note: "SSID Hiding" does not provide real security, as explained in this article from Joel Snyder (Apr 2005) and --in depth-- in this whitepaper: Debunking the Myth of SSID Hiding from ICSA Labs (PDF, Dec 2003).
|
Related Reading
WiFi Security
Wardriving Howto/FAQ
Wardriving Links & Articles
Related Software Tools
WiFi Security Software
Wardriving Software
Professional 2.4 GHz Antennas
|
Wi-Foo: The Secrets of Wireless Hacking
Andrew Vladimirov, Konstantin V. Gavrilenko, Andrei A. Mikhailovsky
Hacking Wireless Exposed: Wireless Security Secrets & Solutions
Johnny Cache, Vincent Liu
CWSP Certified Wireless Security Professional Official Study Guide (Exam PW0-200), 2nd Edition
Tom Carpenter, Grant Moerschel, Richard Dreger
CWNA: Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide: (Exam PW0-104) (Book with CD-ROM)
David D. Coleman, David A. Westcott
802.11 Wireless Networks: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition
Matthew Gast
Jeff Duntemann's Wi-Fi Guide, 2nd Edition
Jeff Duntemann
Wireless Hacks: Tips & Tools for Building, Extending, and Securing Your Network, 2nd Edition
Rob Flickenger, Roger Weeks
Real 802.11 Security: Wi-Fi Protected Access and 802.11i
Jon Edney
Cisco Wireless LAN Security
Krishna Sankar, Sri Sundaralingam, Darrin Miller, Andrew Balinsky
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment