Wireless Networks Lesson 003: Wireless Security Part 1

What is a basic way to boost network security?

By controlling which device can connect and ensuring that any data transmitted is encrypted.

What are the four commonly used wireless security protocols?

WEP, WPA, WPA2, and WPA3.

Pre-Shared Key (PSK)

Involves using the same password on the wireless access point and client device to establish an encrypted connection.

What is a pre-shared key also known as?

PSK.

What is the biggest limitation to using a PSK?

It's not great for use on larger business networks.

Why aren't PSKs not practical for bigger networks?

When someone leaves the area, the PSK needs to be changed.

What was the main security function that made the WEP security protocol ineffective?

It used a clear text initialization vector for network security, making it easy to quickly crack with widely available software.

Wired Equivalent Privacy

A legacy network security protocol, introduced with 802.11 thought to be comparable to wired networks.

What is wired equivalent privacy also known as?

WEP.

When was WEP introduced?

In the 1997.

How did WEP try to protect data?

Using a static 40-bit or 128-bit pre-shared key to protect data.

What network security protocol should never be used to protect a network?

Wired Equivalent Privacy.

Wi-Fi Protected Access

Implemented TKIP to increase initialization vector length from 24-bits to 48-bits.

What is Wi-Fi protected access also known as?

WPA.

Should WPA be used and is it secure?

No, not secure.

What does Temporal Key Integrity Protocol provide?

Per-packet keying and improved integrity over WEP.

What is Temporal Key Integrity Protocol also known as?

TKIP.

What encryption protocol does TKIP belong to?

WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access).

What encryption method did WEP use?

RC4.

Rivest Cipher 4

A stream cipher used in the SPA security protocol.

What is Rivest Cipher 4 also known as?

RC4.

What was RC4 used for?

To protect the confidentiality of the data being sent.

How effective is RC4?

Ineffective, and easy to crack.

Message Integrity Check (MIC)

A security measure that ensures data integrity and prevents data tampering during data transmission.

What does MIC stand for?

Message Integrity Check.

How does MIC ensure data integrity and tampering during transmission?

By using a checksum function, making sure the data packets received are the exact same as the data packets sent.

How did WPA solve the scalability issue that existed with WEP?

By using an authentication server to generate unique session keys for individual users.

What were the security caveats of using WPA?

Used pre-shared keys used with WEP network security protocol when used in small scale environments.