Reference no: EM132819197

Discussion 1:

Which is commonly known at WLAN is extension to LAN (local area network ), which provides enhanced user mobility and net work access (Cyrus, T. Et al). It consists of group of network nodes which can communication radio communication in home, office or building campus. It is legacy technology is use very less. Securing any system should meet some basic fundamentals of security. Authentication, integrity and confidentiality are the basic aspects those needs to be provided to secure the system. There are two ways 802.11 provides authentication, open-system and shared key.

Open system is not trusty authentication mechanism, the reason is it only accepts the MAC address for authentication, which can be spoofed and is not verified. Shared-key involves AP(access point) sending some sort of challenge to client , then client generates the response for the challenge and sends it back. AP validates the response and compares with the challenge sent. This was a shared secret can validate that it was only sent to client and not other party. WEP (wired equivalent privacy) is the algorithm security algorithm for 802.11 . It gives confidentiality , integrity and authentication to 802.11. WEP gives RC4 cypher algorithm to encrypt the communication. It only support 40 bit key. Private vendor might support longer keys , but its not part of the standard.

Reference :

Cyrus, T., Scarfone, K., Dicoi,D.,Sexton, M. Guide to securing legacy wireless 802.11 wireless networks. National Institute of Standard Technology.

Discussion 2:

The various wireless technologies to maximize the use of available radio frequencies were WiMAX and Wi-Fi. Worldwide interoperability microwave access (WiMAX) is a rapidly growing IP-based wireless technology that offers easily realizable promises to deliver voice, data, and video signals over the internet throughout the world, including rural communities of emerging nations. (Abate, 2009) It comprises a WiMAX base station (BS) and customer premise equipment (CPE) for indoor service, and a mobile unit or modem for outdoor service. WiMAX BS theoretically covers a range of up to 30 miles, but it is really limited to a more practical range of 6 miles. Wi-Fi is a well-known wireless network that allows devices such as computers, phones and other equipment like printers and video cameras to connect with the Internet. It allows these devices and many more to exchange information with one another, creating a network.

The different methods that can be used to secure wireless networking were described below:

Use stronger encryption

Use a secure WPA password

Check for rogue Wi-Fi access points

Provide a separate network for guests

Hide your network name

Use a firewall

Enable MAC authentication for your users

Use a VPN

Reference:

Abate, Z. (2009). WiMax RF Systems Engineering. Artech House, Inc.