Wireless Security

 

The most common issues relating to wireless security are:

 

· Insertion Attacks

· Interception and monitoring wireless traffic

· Seepage

· Misconfiguration

· Jamming

· Client to Client Attacks

 

What are Insertion Attacks?

The insertion attacks are based on placing unauthorized devices on the wireless network without going through a security process and review.

 

What are Interception and monitoring wireless traffic attacks?

These interception and monitoring attacks are popular on broadcast wired networks like Ethernet. The same principles apply to wireless.

 

What is seepage?

These vulnerabilities are often due to the fact that the wireless network is reaching areas (often outside of your location) that it is not supposed to do. This makes it available to the other types of attack, outside the confines of your building.

 

What are AP and Client Misconfigurations?

By default, all the base stations analyzed out of the box from the factory were configured in the least secure mode possible. Adding the proper security configuration was left up as an exercise to the administrator to lock down.

 

Unless the administrator of the base station understands the security risks, most of the base stations will remain at a high risk level.

 

What is Jamming?

Denial of service attacks for wired networks are popular. This same principle can be applied to wireless traffic, where legitimate traffic gets jammed because illegitimate traffic overwhelms the frequencies, and legitimate traffic can not get through.

 

What are Client to Client Attacks?

Two wireless clients can talk directly to each other by-passing the base station. Because of this, each client must protect itself from other clients.

 

Excerpts courtesy of Internet Security Systems (ISS)

 

If you have a concern over wireless security, please contact us for more information: info@itmsltd.net