Security Threats in Wireless Networks
ITT-370: Designing a Wireless Network Part 5
Assignment Overview
Security is a significant issue when it comes to wireless networks. There are various security elements that should be considered when planning and implementing a wireless network. Preventing outsiders from getting in is only half the battle; you must consider human errors that result in improper configurations as well. In this assignment, you will consider all aspects in regards to security and implement the security measures into a wireless network design.
All Case Studies
Directions: Refer back to the Design Document and include the appropriate information under the “Reliability Requirements” and “Security Requirements” sections. Consider the security issues in hardware and software architectures of wireless devices as you complete these sections:
1. Define all security threats associated with wireless networks, including energy jamming, (DOS), carrier sense exploitation, RACH flooding, access management protocol exploitation, and rogue access points.
2. Align the threats identified above with the security measures and configurations that can be deployed to protect 802.11x wireless networks and the transmission of data across them. Describe the effectiveness/ineffectiveness of these measures and configurations.
3. Compare the security measures associated with 802.11x wireless networks (Wi-Fi) and other wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, RFID, and Cellular. How would you test to make sure there are no security gaps when deploying multiple wireless technologies?
4. What are the best encryption methods (block or stream) you can deploy on an 802.11x wireless network to protect user authentication and data?
5. Consider that most businesses allow administrative employees to take laptops or other devices out of the office to work from home. Businesses should consider how to prevent viruses on their network brought in by employees and placed on the network. Think about how you would plan a wireless network to accommodate these aspects for your assigned business.
6. Each business has unique guidelines that must be considered when addressing security requirements. Address the following federal guidelines below (and any others that you come across in your research) that relate specifically to your assigned business.
(Bank)
Consider all the possible ways that security can be breached and what type(s) of security policies will be needed to be in place to comply with the Federal Reserve System and the Supervision and Regulation, which are supervised by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).
ITT-370: Designing a Wireless Network Part 5
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ITT-370: Designing a Wireless Network Part 5
Security Threats
Configuration problems cause different vulnerabilities since many consumer/SOHO-grade access points are shipped without security configurations. Other possible configuration problems include feeble security deployments, default service set identifier (SSID) usage, and weak passphrases. It allows people with malicious intent to steal an SSID and link without anyone noticing. Denial of service allows malicious parties to hijack resources, see unauthorized data, and initiate backdoors into the system. Eavesdropping or passive capturing entails getting within the target wireless local area network (LAN) range and listening to capture data that can be leveraged to break current security settings and analyze non-secured traffic. Unauthorized or rogue access points are typically leveraged by individuals with malicious intent to set up the rogue access point in the existing wireless LAN range. The individual manages to “fool” the unauthorized devices within the areas associated with false access points instead of legitimate and secure ones. Evil twin attacks entail the hacker gathering sufficient information concerning the wireless access point to impersonate it with their personal and more robust broadcast signal (Rahman & Ali, 2018).
Security Measures and Configurations
To mitigate incomplete configurations or misconfigurations, a centrally managed WLAN that incorporates periodic audits, as well as coordinated updates, can be leveraged. Centralized wireless controllers are effective because they reduce the cost of new access points’ deployments and simplify their routine management. Denial of service attacks is mitigated via a multi-layered, intelligent approach. This is an effective mitigation solution because it generates multiple protection layers against different denial of service vulnerabilities. Passive capturing can be mitigated by executing high-security protocols using the firewall as well as establishing complex parameters. The nature of the wireless network downgrades the effectiveness of the mitigation, as mentioned earlier measure. Rogue access points can be mitigated by making it easier for workers to access secured and legitimate wireless access points. Another effective mitigation measure includes installing a wireless intrusion prevention system to scan radio spectrums and establish access ports with configuration mistakes. Penetration testing and serve authentication constitute the only practical tools in mitigating evil twin attacks (Rahman & Ali, 2018).
Comparing Security Measures
802.11x wireless networks (Wi-Fi) security measures include IEEE 802.11, which is the standard applied for all Wi-Fi devices. However, not all IEEE 802.11-supported devices are Wi-Fi certified. Wi-Fi will be more of a technology brand name, whereas 802.11 remains the IEEE standard. Noteworthy, IEEE protocols for wireless LAN will be established as 802.11. The most vital approach to protect the network from intruders entails the use of encryption. WEP, as well as WAP, are the primary encryption forms available for this reason (Radivilova & Hassan, 2017). T...