authentication and encryption methods

WLAN Authentication Methods

It is important to understand that there is a distinction between being authenticated onto a wireless network and then having the traffic passed be encrypted. It is possible to be authenticated onto a network and pass open unencrypted traffic; this section looks at the commonly used methods of authentication.

There are three main methods of authentication that are used on today’s wireless LANs:

• open authentication
• shared authentication
• EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) authentication

The open authentication method is the simplest of the methods used and only requires that the end device be aware of the Service-Set Identifier (SSID) used on the network, as long as the SSID is known then the device will be allowed onto the network. The problem with this method is that the SSID is typically broadcast and if it is not, it can be easy to figure out with passive capturing techniques. 

The shared authentication method is commonly used on individual and small business wireless LAN implementations; this method uses a shared key (Pre-Shared Key – PSK) that is given to both sides of the connection; if they match then the device is allowed onto the network. 

The third method uses the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) and is the most common method used by enterprises. The EAP method utilizes an authentication server that is queried for authentication using a variety of credential options.

WLAN Encryption Methods

Along with the method used for authentication, the choice of encryption method is a very important part of deploying a wireless LAN. Many of the encryption methods that were implemented in earlier wireless LAN standards have been proven insecure and have been depreciated by more modern methods. As time goes on, this is sure to happen with all encryption techniques as they are used more commonly (thus becoming a target for exploitation) and as processing power continues to increase.

Here are the WLAN encryption methods we’ll review today:

• Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)
• Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)
• Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2)

The first widely used standard for wireless LANs was 802.11 (prime); this included the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) algorithm which was used for security. WEP utilizes RC4 for encryption and has been depreciated because of vulnerabilities that can be used to find the security keys.

In response to the vulnerabilities found in WEP, Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)was defined. WPA utilizes the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) which utilizes dynamic keys that were not supported with WEP and RC4 for encryption. The TKIP method used with WPA was utilized until vulnerabilities were found in TKIP. These vulnerabilities center on the fact that TKIP uses some of the same mechanisms that WEP does which allow similar attacks.

In response to the vulnerabilities in WPA/TKIP, the IEEE 802.11i standard was defined and implemented; the IEEE 802.11i standard is also referred to as WPA2. WPA2 replaced TKIP with Counter Mode with Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code Protocol (CCMP) which is based on Advanced Encryption Standard (AES); it is common for the WPA2 encryption method to be referred to as AES. As of this writing, there are no easy methods that have been found to break AES.

Wireless communication

Wireless communication is among technology’s biggest contributions to mankind. Wireless communication involves the transmission of information over a distance without help of wires, cables or any other forms of electrical conductors. The transmitted distance can be anywhere between a few meters (for example, a television’s remote control) and thousands of kilometres (for example, radio communication).

 

Some of the devices used for wireless communication are cordless telephones, mobiles, GPS units, wireless computer parts, and satellite television.

 

Advantages 

Wireless communication has the following advantages:

i.      Communication has enhanced to convey the information quickly to the consumers. 

ii.        Working professionals can work and access Internet anywhere and anytime without carrying cables or wires wherever they go. This also helps to complete the work anywhere on time and improves the productivity. 

iii.       Doctors, workers and other professionals working in remote areas can be in touch with medical centres through wireless communication. 

iv.       Urgent situation can be alerted through wireless communication. The affected regions can be provided help and support with the help of these alerts through wireless communication. 

v.         Wireless networks are cheaper to install and maintain.

 

Disadvantages

The growth of wireless network has enabled us to use personal devices anywhere and anytime. This has helped mankind to improve in every field of life but this has led many threats as well.

 

Wireless network has led to many security threats to mankind. It is very easy for the hackers to grab the wireless signals that are spread in the air. It is very important to secure the wireless network so that the information cannot be exploited by the unauthorized users. This also increases the risk to lose information. Strong security protocols must be created to secure the wireless signals like WPA and WPA2. Another way to secure the wireless network is to have wireless intrusion prevention system.  

Wireless

Wireless is a term used to describe telecommunications in which electromagnetic waves (rather than some form of wire) carry the signal over part or all of the communication path. Some monitoring devices, such as intrusion alarms, employ acoustic waves at frequencies above the range of human hearing; these are also sometimes classified as wireless.

The wireless method of communication uses low-powered radio waves to transmit data between devices. High powered transmission sources usually require government licenses to broadcast on a specific wavelength. This platform has historically carried voice and has grown into a large industry, carrying many thousands of broadcasts around the world. Radio waves are now increasingly being used by unregulated computer users.

Humans communicate in order to share knowledge and experiences. Common forms of human communication include sign language, speaking, writing, gestures, and broadcasting. Communication can be interactive, transactive, intentional, or unintentional; it can also be verbal or nonverbal. In addition, communication can be intrapersonal or interpersonal.

We owe much to the Romans that in the field of communication it did not end with the Latin rootcommunicare. They devised what might be described as the first real mail, or postal system, in order to centralize control of the empire from Rome. This allowed Rome to gather knowledge about events in its many widespread provinces.

The first wireless transmitters went on the air in the early 20th century using radiotelegraphy (Morse code). Later, as modulation made it possible to transmit voices and music via wireless, the medium came to be called "radio." With the advent of television, fax, data communication, and the effective use of a larger portion of the spectrum, the term "wireless" has been resurrected.

WLANs Technology

The three technologies WLANs use:

1- Infrared:

Infrared (IR) technology is restricted to a single room or line of sight because IR light can’t penetrate walls, ceilings, or floors. This technology is used for most remote controls and for syncing PDAs. 

 2-  Narrowband:

Narrowband technology uses microwave radio band frequencies to transmit data. The most common uses of this technology are cordless phones and garage door openers. 

3- Spread spectrum:

For data to be moved over radio waves, it must be modulated on the carrier signal or channel. Modulation defines how data is placed on a carrier signal.  

 

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Encryption Methods

Encryption is a technique for transforming information on a computer in a way that it becomes unreadable. So if someone gained the access to a computer they won’t be able to do anything with the data except if they have complex, expensive software or the original data key. One of the first people among the history that used encryption are Egyptians and they used hieroglyphs language. 

There are many different methods of encrypting the data such as...

• Hashing

• Hashing creates a unique, fixed-length signature for a message or data set. Each “hash” is unique to a specific message, so minor changes to that message would be easy to track. Once data is encrypted using hashing, it cannot be reversed or deciphered. Hashing, then, though not technically an encryption method as such, is still useful for proving data hasn’t been tampered with.

• Symmetric methods Symmetric encryption is also known as private-key cryptography, and is called so because the key used to encrypt and decrypt the message must remain secure, because anyone with access to it can decrypt the data. Using this method, a sender encrypts the data with one key, sends the data (the ciphertext) and then the receiver uses the key to decrypt the data.

• Asymmetric methods
• Asymmetric encryption, or public-key cryptography, is different than the previous method because it uses two keys for encryption or decryption (it has the potential to be more secure as such). With this method, a public key is freely available to everyone and is used to encrypt messages, and a different, private key is used by the recipient to decrypt messages.

WLAN Authentication Methods

WLAN Authentication Methods

It is important to understand that there is a distinction between being authenticated onto a wireless network and then having the traffic passed be encrypted. It is possible to be authenticated onto a network and pass open unencrypted traffic; this section looks at the commonly used methods of authentication.

There are three main methods of authentication that are used on today’s wireless LANs:

• open authentication
• shared authentication
• EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) authentication

The open authentication method is the simplest of the methods used and only requires that the end device be aware of the Service-Set Identifier (SSID) used on the network, as long as the SSID is known then the device will be allowed onto the network. The problem with this method is that the SSID is typically broadcast and if it is not, it can be easy to figure out with passive capturing techniques. 

The shared authentication method is commonly used on individual and small business wireless LAN implementations; this method uses a shared key (Pre-Shared Key – PSK) that is given to both sides of the connection; if they match then the device is allowed onto the network. 

The third method uses the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) and is the most common method used by enterprises. The EAP method utilizes an authentication server that is queried for authentication using a variety of credential options.

WLAN Encryption Methods

Along with the method used for authentication, the choice of encryption method is a very important part of deploying a wireless LAN. Many of the encryption methods that were implemented in earlier wireless LAN standards have been proven insecure and have been depreciated by more modern methods. As time goes on, this is sure to happen with all encryption techniques as they are used more commonly (thus becoming a target for exploitation) and as processing power continues to increase.

Here are the WLAN encryption methods we’ll review today:

• Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)
• Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)
• Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2)

The first widely used standard for wireless LANs was 802.11 (prime); this included the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) algorithm which was used for security. WEP utilizes RC4 for encryption and has been depreciated because of vulnerabilities that can be used to find the security keys.

In response to the vulnerabilities found in WEP, Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)was defined. WPA utilizes the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) which utilizes dynamic keys that were not supported with WEP and RC4 for encryption. The TKIP method used with WPA was utilized until vulnerabilities were found in TKIP. These vulnerabilities center on the fact that TKIP uses some of the same mechanisms that WEP does which allow similar attacks.

In response to the vulnerabilities in WPA/TKIP, the IEEE 802.11i standard was defined and implemented; the IEEE 802.11i standard is also referred to as WPA2. WPA2 replaced TKIP with Counter Mode with Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code Protocol (CCMP) which is based on Advanced Encryption Standard (AES); it is common for the WPA2 encryption method to be referred to as AES. As of this writing, there are no easy methods that have been found to break AES.

PPP (Point-To-Point Protocol)

PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) is a protocol for communication between two computers using a serial interface, typically a personal computer connected by phone line to a server. For example, your Internet server provider may provide you with a PPP connection so that the provider's server can respond to your requests, pass them on to the Internet, and forward your requested Internet responses back to you. PPP uses the Internet protocol (IP) (and is designed to handle others). It is sometimes considered a member of the TCP/IP suite of protocols. Relative to the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model, PPP provides layer 2 (data-link layer) service. Essentially, it packages your computer's TCP/IP packets and forwards them to the server where they can actually be put on the Internet.

PPP is a full-duplex protocol that can be used on various physical media, including twisted pair or fiber optic lines or satellite transmission. It uses a variation of High Speed Data Link Control (HDLC) for packet encapsulation.

PPP is usually preferred over the earlier de facto standard Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) because it can handle synchronous as well as asynchronous communication. PPP can share a line with other users and it has error detection that SLIP lacks. Where a choice is possible, PPP is preferred.