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Evolution of WLAN Security

Evolution of WLAN Security. Presented by Khalid AlShehri CSE 7339. 802.11 Security Specifications. MAC address filtering Each AP configured with a list of MAC addresses to make sure that only stations on the list can access the network Spoofing an authorized MAC address!

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Evolution of WLAN Security

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  1. Evolution of WLAN Security Presented by Khalid AlShehri CSE 7339

  2. 802.11 Security Specifications • MAC address filtering • Each AP configured with a list of MAC addresses to make sure that only stations on the list can access the network • Spoofing an authorized MAC address! • Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) • Uses RC4 symmetric key encryption algorithm • 40-bit key shared between the AP and wireless client

  3. WEP contd. • Serious security flaws were present in the protocol. WEP was considered as a broken protocol. • Experienced hackers can crack the WEP keys in a busy network within 15 minutes. • Tests reveals that WEP remains insecure at any key size

  4. IEEE 802.11i • New WLAN security standard that adds stronger encryption, authentication, and key management strategies • The default mode for implementing encryption and message authentication is based on AES • When WEP was broken, there were millions of installed APs without practical security solution • Problem: Hardware needed to implement AES is different from that needed for RC4 • Solution: Design a secure protocol that accommodate WEP hardware (TKIP)

  5. 802.11i contd. • Consists of three main components organized into two layers • Lower layer: improved encryption algorithms • TKIP: legacy equipment • AES: future WLAN equipment • Upper layer: port based access control (802.1x)

  6. IEEE 802.1X • Original purpose behind 802.1X was to protect ports of the Ethernet switch (wired) • Complete security solution for Wireless LANs? • No, it is only a small part of the solution • Addresses the issue of user authentication in WEP

  7. Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) • Purpose: to upgrade WEP systems to be secure • TKIP uses RC4 as WEP • Addresses WEP’s known exposures • Changes the temporal keys every 10000 packets

  8. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) • Industry couldn't wait until the lengthy process of standards ratification was completed. • Wi-Fi Alliance adopted a new security approach based on the draft of 802.11i • Implements 802.1X to enforce authentication • Apply TKIP on existing RC4 WEP to impose strong data encryption

  9. WPA Contd. • A major security improvement in wireless environment • Vendors can transit to the WPA standard through a software upgrade • There are still potential encryption weaknesses in TKIP. • successful crack is expected to be heavy and expensive. • Performance may be sacrificed due to a more complex authentication and encryption protocols.

  10. WPA2 • WPA2 is the approved Wi-Fi Alliance implementation of 802.11i • Uses AES (stronger encryption mechanism) • Backward compatible with WPA • WPA2 is not being released to address any flaws in WPA.

  11. Conclusion • Wireless security is one of the most misunderstood aspects of wireless technologies.

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