Network Security Wireless. What is wireless security? How does it differ from wired network security? What are some common issues that affect wireless networks?
Wireless networking has become ubiquitous in modern society. In fact, over 80% of households now have at least one device connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi or cellular data connections. As such, it’s important to understand how these technologies operate and how they can be at risk.
What is wireless networking?
Wireless networking is a technology that allows an electronic device to communicate without the use of wires. This is through the use of radio waves. In this book, we will be focusing on using the IEEE 802.11 standard, also known as Wi-Fi.
This standard was by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). A way to allow electronic devices to communicate wirelessly at high speeds within a relatively small area called a Basic Service Set (BSS). When several Wi-Fi networks are present in one area, they form an Extended Service Set (ESS).
As you can see, Wi-Fi has been around for quite some time. For example, it has been available before even the creation of the World Wide Web! As such, it’s important to remember that most modern electronic devices have built-in support for Wi-Fi.
This means that in order to connect your devices to your Wi-Fi network, no extra software or hardware is a must. However, it’s important to note that there are other wireless networking standards and protocols besides Wi-Fi. These include Infrared (IrDA), Bluetooth, Near Field Communication (NFC), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM).
How do I secure my wireless network?
When it comes to securing a wireless network, there are two main areas of concern. The first is the actual physical security of the access point. And the second is the security of the data that is being transmitted over the network. As such, securing your wireless network involves ensuring that both of these areas are safe. There are several different ways you can secure your wireless network depending on what type of access point you are using.
Some common methods include:
WPA:
The Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) standard is for an extension to the original Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) standard in order to strengthen it. This newer version included several new features, including:
WEP:
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is a way to encrypt data being transmitted via a wireless network from your device to an access point or router. It does so by encrypting data at both ends of the connection with a 64 bit or 128 bit key (depending on what encryption level you choose). These keys are then used to scramble and descramble transmitted data.
Turning off SSID broadcasting:
The service set identifier (SSID) is a name used to identify a wi-fi network. When an SSID is turned on, all nearby devices can see this name and connect directly to it without needing any other information like an encryption key.
It’s recommended that you turn this function off if possible. As it can allow anyone within range of your Wi-Fi signal to see it and connect directly to your Wi-Fi network without knowing any details about your Wi-Fi router other than its SSID name.
Turning off SSID broadcasting also protects against “wardriving” attacks where hackers search for networks from inside their car by scanning a wide range of radio frequencies for any available networks.