Introduction to Wireless

The term wireless is normally used to refer to any type of electrical or electronic operation
which is accomplished without the use of a "hard wired" connection.

For a long range communications, it is impossible or impractical to implement with the use
of wires.

Radio transmitters and receivers, computer networks, network terminals which use some
form of energy (e.g.,radio frequency (RF), infrared light, laser light, visible light, or acoustic
energy) to transfer information without the use of wires. Information is transferred in this
manner over both short and long distances.

Wireless technology is based on the IEEE (Institute of Electronics and

Electrical Engineers) 802.11 standard, which is one of the many
standards of the IEEE 802 LAN/WAN standards 802.11 used to be
currently the most affordable and available specification, but as
technology keeps on evolving, now the most affordable standard is
802.11g. The most important factor here is the bandwidth provided by
the standard. When wireless network was first introduced the 802.11
standard could only provide 1 – 2 Mbps connection speed. Later, the
802.11b provided 11 Mbps bandwidth. Both 802.11a and 802.11g
standards provide 54 Mbps connection speed between the wireless
device and the access point
 Introduction

 Wireless networks are growing in popularity

 Instead of CAT5 or CAT 6 network cables, wireless
networks use radio waves to communicate with
each other.
 Most of today’s wireless networks are
based on the IEEE 802.11 standard.
 WIRELESS PRODUCTS
 Routers & Gateways

 Switches
 Power Over Ethernet Adapters
 Wireless Access Points
 Wireless Print Servers
 Wireless Antennas
 Wireless Storage Devices
 Storage Central
 Wireless Game Box

X Box
 WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY IN
NETWORKING
 
  WiFi 
 WiMAX 
 WLAN
 WiFi

 WiFi is the wireless way to handle networking.

 It is also known as 802.11 networking and
wireless networking .
 The big advantage of WiFi is its simplicity. You can
connect computers anywhere in your home or
office without the need for wires.
 The computers connect to the network using radio
signals, and computers can be up to 100 feet or so
apart.
 WI-MAX

WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is the IEEE

802.16
standards-based wireless technology that provides MAN
(Metropolitan Area Network)
broadband connectivity. WiMAX is an Air Interface for Fixed
Broadband Wireless Access Systems, also known as the IEEE Wireless
MAN air interface.
 WLAN

Most industry estimates suggest that more than 85% of all

enterprises will have at least one WLAN installation by 2007
. The Wi-Fi Alliance believes it is critical For IT managers to
understand the risks of WLANs and immediately take
WLAN
prudent action to secure Security
their Breaches
installation.
There are two aspects of WLAN security: data protection (encryption)
and network access control (authentication). Breaches can occur at the
network level via the wireless access point (AP), or at an individual PC -
either attached to a network or operating in ad hoc mode and
communicating in a peer-to-peer fashion. The result of a wireless
privacy breach is the same as it would be for a physical wire based
network privacy issue: corporate data is at risk for third party recovery
or modification. Because of the broadcast nature of wireless, however,
providing data protection is much more challenging with wireless
networks. Network breaches range from someone taking unauthorized
enterprise network bandwidth to connect to the Internet, to attempts at
accessing corporate secrets.
 WIRELESS SECURITY
 Wireless Encryption - WEP, WPA,  and WPA2.
 This a very basic description of the differences between Encryption Security Methods used
by Entry Level Wireless Hardware (802.11b/g).
 WEP.
Each packet of the Encryption has 24bits Initialization vector. Which unfortunately done in
plaintext.
40bits (encryption)+ 24bits(init. vector)=64bits Encryption.
104bit(encryption)+ 24bits(init. vector)=128bits Encryption.
WEP uses RC4 stream encryption, for a fresh key stream for each packet.
The Init Vector & the key are combined to get per-packet key which is used to generate
RC4 keys stream.
The RC4 is one of the major culprits in the security issues.
Part of the weakness of RC4 has to do with the combo of Init. Vector and Plain Text
chipper.
24 bit Init vector is finishing a cycle of 2 in the power of 24 in about hour and then repeats.
Repeating Init Vector plus knowledge about the plaintext language, makes guessing the
plaintexts simpler.
 
 WIFI PROTECTED ACCESS
 WPA
WPA
It is an interim solution that is used now until 802.11i comes out.
It still using RC4, but the Key was changed to TKIP.
TKIP basically works by generating a sequence of WEP keys based on a master
key, and re-keying periodically before enough volume of info. could be captured
to allow recovery of the WEP key. TKIP changes the Key every 10,000 packets,
which is quick enough to combat statistical methods to analyze the cipher.
TKIP also adds into the picture the Message Integrity Code (MIC). The
transmission’s CRC, and ICV (Integrity Check Value) is checked. If the packet
was tampered with. WPA will stop using the current keys and re-keys.
 The Big Change will be Advance Encryption Standard (AES).
802.11i will change the WPA RC4 usage to employ AES.
 Referred to as WPA2 the main difference for regular user would be.
 WPA uses (as describe above) TKIP/MIC Encryption.
 WPA2 uses AES-CCMP Encryption
 AES aka the Rijndael algorithm is a secure, fast symmetric cipher that is easily
implemented in hardware.
AES has its own mechanism for dynamic key generation. It's also resistant to
statistical analysis of the cipher text.
 Counter-Mode/CBC-MAC Protocol (CCMP) called the Advanced Encryption
Standard (AES).
 Advantages of Wireless
Technology
 Ease to install
 Ease to modify
 Mobility
 Portability
 Inter-connectability
 Expandability
 Ease to be segmented
 Being economical
 Transparency
 Reusability
 Having broad range of coverage and options
 THANK
YOU