Three Concepts Of Wireless Security

3.1.3 Concepts of Wireless Security

Wireless networking has many security issues for organization or individual, with the deployment of wireless networks in business environments, organizations are working to implement security mechanisms that are equivalent to those of wire-based LANs. An additional component of this security requirement is the need to restrict access to the wireless network only to valid users. Physical access to the wireless network is different than access to a wired LAN. But Wireless networking is inherently insecure, from jamming to eavesdropping, from man-in the middle to spoofing; there are a variety of attack methods that can be used against the users of wireless networks [13]. In wireless technology, data is broadcasted

The security of wireless systems can be divided into [15]:

• Security of the application. This means the security of user applications and standard applications such as email.

• Security of the devices. How to protect the physical device in case it is lost or stolen.

• Security of the wireless communication. How to protect messages in transit.

• Security of the server that connects to the Internet or other wired network.

Wireless security policies that protect against unauthorized access to major resources. Risks are inherent in any wireless technology [16, 17]. Some of these risks are like to those of wired networks; some are new.

3.1.4 Security Attacks in Wireless LANs

A secure system can be achieved by preventing attacks or by detecting them and providing a mechanism to recover for those attacks. These attacks are done in order to accomplish information by breaking the security. Figure.3.1 shows that Attacks on wireless networks can be classified as active and passive

In this type of cryptography, both the sender and the receiver know the same secret code, called the key. Messages are encrypted by the sender using the key and decrypted by the receiver using the same key. A feature of symmetric cryptography is the speed in which messages are encrypted and decrypted. A disadvantage is the number of keys required when more than a few people are involved. For example, only one key is needed for two people to exchange secret messages. However, if ten people are involved, then 45 private keys are needed. In general, n people require (n) (n- 1)/2 private keys. The most popular symmetric key algorithms are Data Encryption Standard (DES), Triple DES, and Advance Encryption Standard