# Presentation: 091668

## Evaluating Wireless Networks

**PCIE IT Roundtable Workshop**
**October 14, 2003**

## Outline

- Introduction to wireless networks
- Threats and vulnerabilities
- Evaluating wireless networks
- Objectives
- Methodology
- Tools
- Findings
- Recommendations
- Conclusion

## Introduction to Wireless Networks  

- Rapid growth computer communications technology
- Agencies increasingly use wireless networks
- Enhanced mobility
- Greater productivity
- Low implementation costs
- Painless installation

## Introduction to Wireless Networks (cont.)

- Use of radio waves instead of cables
- Major standard
- Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, Wireless Local Area Networks
- Components of a Wi-Fi network
- Access Points (Hot Spot)
- Wireless clients (e.g. laptops, PDAs)

## Slide 5

## Threats

- Disclosure of sensitive/confidential data
- Denial of service (DoS)
- Unauthorized access to wireless-enabled resources
- Potential weakening of existing security measures on connected wired networks and systems

## Slide 7

## Vulnerabilities

- Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption standard extremely weak
- Radio signals susceptible to jamming and interference
- Protocol vulnerabilities allow
- Network sessions to be taken over by an intruder
- Injection of invalid data into network traffic
- Network reconnaissance
- Default configurations create “open” network

## Wireless Automatically Enabled	

-   “Roam if you want to. Windows XP automatically recognizes the 802.11 wireless network you’re near and connects you to it.” Microsoft Windows XP Retail box

## Evaluating Wireless Networks

- Wireless networks are
- Easy to implement
- Difficult to secure
- Policies often have not been developed

## Evaluation Objectives

- Assess the current Agency position regarding wireless networks
- Examine the use of wireless technology
- Evaluate the security of the wireless network and applications including threats to
- Data integrity
- Confidentiality
- Availability of services and resources
- Determine the level of user awareness of wireless technology

## Evaluation Methodology

- External scanning to illustrate the ease with which unauthorized persons could intercept wireless signals
- Internal scanning and physical inspection to verify the source of signals
- Traffic analysis to see if sensitive data is being transmitted, if transmissions are encrypted, and how vulnerable the networks are to attack
- Review network topologies to assess connectivity to wired networks and determine measures to protect wired networks
- Meet with wireless users and administrators to assess awareness, employee expertise, and strength of security measures

## Content Analysis

- Characterize data on the network
- View potential vulnerabilities
- Determine appropriate network use
- Assist in review of policy conformance
- 18 USC 2511(2)(a)(i) allows protectors of systems (non law-enforcement) to look at content of wireless transmissions

## Evaluation Tools

- Hardware
- Laptop
- Wireless network card
- Antenna
- GPS
- Wireless sniffing software
- WEP encryption cracking software
- Mapping software

## Findings

- Wireless networks with inadequate security
- Range of wireless networks exceed physical boundaries of user organizations
- Non-existent or inadequate policies for wireless networks
- No risk assessments were performed prior to wireless implementation
- No logical separation of wireless networks from wired counterparts
- Insufficient employee awareness

## ▲ = Access points using

- ▲ = Access points using
-         encryption
- ▲ = Access points without
-         encryption

## Example: The radio signal from a wireless network can spill over from the building where access points are located to neighboring buildings, parking lots and public roads.

## Example: These packet traces show highly confidential data that can be captured from a wireless network

## General Evaluation Recommendations

- Develop wireless network policies
- Conduct risk assessments to determine required level of security
- Limit access to wireless networks through the use of wireless security measures (ie. 802.11i or WPA)
- Maintain logical separation between wireless and wired networks
- Perform wireless scans to identify wireless networks and applications (on a regular basis)
- Enforce wireless network policies

## Information Sharing

- Awareness
- Collaborative use of findings
- Confidentiality

## Conclusion

- Wireless network evaluations are easy to conduct using inexpensive or freely available tools.
- Evaluations are very necessary
- Wireless networks are inexpensive, convenient, and simple to use – so people will use them.
- BUT, wireless networks are vulnerable.

## Contact for Wireless Network Evaluations

- Jamil Farshchi
- (202) 358-1897
- _[jamil@nasa.gov](mailto:jamil@nasa.gov)_