Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Hacking the Ivisible Network pdf


Wireless networking technology is becoming increasingly popular but, at the same time, has 
introduced many security issues. The popularity in wireless technology is driven by two primary 
factors — convenience and cost. A wireless local area network (WLAN) allows workers to 
access digital resources without being tethered to their desks. Laptops could be carried into 
meetings or even out to the front lawn on a nice day. This convenience has become affordable. 
Vendors have begun to produce compatible hardware at a reasonable price with standards such 
as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.’s (IEEE’s) 802.11x. 


However, the convenience of WLANs also introduces security concerns that do not exist in a 
wired world. Connecting to a network no longer requires an Ethernet cable. Instead, data packets 
are airborne and available to anyone with the ability to intercept and decode them. Traditional 
physical security measures like walls and security guards are useless in this new domain. 

Several reports have discussed weaknesses in the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) algorithm 
employed by the 802.11x standard to encrypt wireless data. This has lead to the development of 
automated tools, such as AirSnort and WEPCrack, that automate the recovery of encryption 
keys. The IEEE has organized the 802.11i Task Group to address 802.11x security, and hardware 
vendors are racing to implement proprietary solutions. Still, securing vulnerable networks could 
take some time. Beyond this, research has shown that that majority of networks use no 
encryption at all. WEP is far from perfect, but it does at least provide a deterrent to attackers. 

WLANs introduce security risks that must be understood and mitigated. If not, vulnerable 
WLANs can compromise overall network security by allowing the following attack scenarios: 

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