Addressing WiFi Security Concerns

Abstract

Signal leakage means that wireless network communications can be picked up outside the physical boundaries of the building in which they are being operated, meaning a hacker can operate from the street outside. In addition to signal leakage—the wired equivalent privacy protocol is inherently weak and there are various other attacks that can be initiated against WLAN’s. This research commences by conducting a war driving expedition to ascertain the number of unprotected WLAN devices in use in a one small town. We conclude by making recommendations for three groups of user; home user, small office/home office (SOHO) and medium to large organisations. Home users should implement all the security measures their hardware offers them, to include WEP at the longest key length permitted and implement firewalls on all connected PCs changing their WEP key on a weekly basis. The small office group should implement WPA-SPK; and the medium to large organisations should implement one or more of either WPA enterprise with a RADIUS server, VPN software, IDSs, and provide documented policies in relation to WLANs and their use.