Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN): is it really safe?

Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN : is it really safe

2006

Introduction

Providing an adequate security for any local area networks (LANs ) has always been a necessity for LANs to be a viable idea . From the very origin of LANS , the process of maintaining data integrity and prohibiting unauthorized access has proven to be problematic at best Overtime , many companies designed algorithms and product that provided security solutions . However , in the context of wireless networking emergence , these algorithms become not effective , because the nature of wireless local area networks (WLANs ) still

provides relatively easy access to those networks

Wireless networks are popping up everywhere-your corporate office , your home , and even your local coffee shop . In their default configurations though , wireless local area networks (LANs ) are insecure and can provide an unscrupulous person with easy entry into a network in an attempt to either access unauthorized systems or to steal ' bandwidth . Wireless LAN security is so poor that some outfits , such as the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , prohibit the use of wireless LANs anywhere in the facility . According to analysis conducted by AirDefence in 2003 , over 57 of WLANs were not protected (Moran , 2003 . Other studies conducted by many organizations in 2004 and 2005 revealed the similar picture , according to which about half of existing WLANs lack protection and are vulnerable for unauthorized access and hackers attacks (Blandford and Renfroe , 2005

Security issues

Wireless LANs have major security issues . Default configurations network architecture , encryption weaknesses , and physical security are areas that cause problems for wireless LAN installations . Default installations of most wireless networks allow any wireless NIC to access the network without any form of authentication . The one can easily drive around with laptop in hand and pick up many network connections , a practice referred to as war driving . Because this vulnerability is so prevalent , war driving is quickly replacing war dialing (calling a wide range of phone numbers looking for an active modem ) as the method of finding backdoors into a network . Wireless LAN administrators might realize that radio waves are easier to tap passively than cable is , but they might not realize just how vulnerable they really are . If you have a wireless network in place , war driving should be the first thing you protect your network against

War chalking is the latest wireless war ' phenomenon , with people using chalk marks on sidewalks and sides of buildings to denote Service Set IDs (SSIDs ) and locations of open wireless access points . Much like the hobo signs of yesteryear , war chalking is a language for denoting accessible locations (Cox , 2006

Wireless Internet service providers (ISPs ) have to be very conscious of their wireless network configurations . If someone is able to access an ISP 's network without authentication , that individual is essentially stealing service . The wireless ISP is losing revenue , and the illegal user is taking up valuable bandwidth (Cox , 2006

After a user gains access to the wireless network-whether authorized or unauthorized-the only thing keeping that person from accessing unauthorized servers or...