Privacy Problems in Wireless Networks - Essay Example

Privacy problems in wireless networks Customer Inserts His/her Name Customer Inserts Grade Course Customer Inserts Tutor’s Name 21, 10, 2010 Outline Introduction Privacy problems in wireless network Conclusion Introduction The development of network infrastructure has necessitated the implementation of wireless network infrastructure in most organizations. Wireless network has therefore been implemented in most sectors of the economy despite its security concern. Unlike a wired network, wireless network has many security lapses that can allow an intruder to access the network and even access a wired network linked to the wireless network through an Access Point (AP). The protocols and the methods that are used to encrypt data in a wireless network is the major point of concern, there has been increased concern over the efficiency and the reliability of security measures taken by IT corporations. This is because of the ease at which a hacker can access a wireless network using free software’s available in the internet. A hacker also needs basic knowledge of wireless implementation in order to crack and access a wireless network with minimal effort (Jerman-Blažič and Klobučar 2004, 76). Most companies have implemented the use of wireless network without considering its security concerns. Most companies do not bother to implement a secure access point of their wireless network; some even ignore using an access point assuming that the network is as secure as a wired network. In addition to this, most laptops that were released to the market by the year 2005 have an inbuilt wireless network. This has made it easy for both intentional and accidental access of a wireless network possible for many people. This discussion will therefore focus on the major security concerns that a wireless network faces with respect to privacy. Privacy problems in wireless network There are a number of loopholes that makes a wireless network prone to illegal access from intruders; such illegal access makes a wireless network insecure because of lack of privacy in the network. The possible options for network access are as discussed below; Ad-hoc networks Ad-hoc networks are networks that are linked together in a peer-to-peer mode, these networks especially the wireless networks usually do not have access points that links them. With no access points between these networks, network intrusion likelihood is increased. Notably the bridge to other networks creates a security flaw in an Ad-hoc network; it is usually not the network itself that creates the security flaw (Patil 2003, 123). MAC spoofing Some wireless network use MAC address to access a network, this means that if an intruder is able to read a MAC address of another computer, he/she will be able to remotely connect to that computer without any difficulty. This is possible mainly because an intruder has the ability to listen to the network traffic and thus be in a position to accurately identify a computer which has the privileges of network access. A number of wireless networks have the ability of implementing MAC filtering process in order to allow users with recognized MAC address to access the network. The weakness of this system is the presence of application programs that can perform network sniffing; it therefore acts as if its MAC address should be accepted to access the network. More so, there are some devices which include 802.11 devices with the ability to propagate unencrypted signals to the air (Janise and Cherita 2009, 89). In this case, less sophisticated software can detect the signal and even be in a position to access the network. Service denial In this type of network intrusion system, the intruder sends false requests to an identified Access Point. The action is repeated several times and in the process actually blocking legitimate users of the network by causing jams which may end up crashing the network. This action in itself is however insufficient for the intruder to get into the network. The process or resetting the network is the loophole which the intruder takes advantage; this is essentially because of the re-transmission of the handshake codes through the network while an intruder is connected. Because of this, the intruder stores all the necessary codes used for connecting the network at any time hence breaching the privacy of that particular network (Daniel 2002, 78). Network injection In this case, network security breach is achieved by capitalizing of network traffic that is not filtered. There are usually a number of network traffic that are not filtered, such networks includes OSPF, RIP and Spanning tree among others. The intruder then re-configures the network by inducing false command to the network. This is possible as a result of identifying the target Access Point with a weakness (Buttyán and Hubaux 2007, 56). Once false command has been injected into the network, the network will be rebooted and re-configured contrary to the initial configurations. Non-traditional networks A number of unsecure devices with the potential of causing security threat are available in the market. These devices include Bluetooth links like mobile phones, barcode reads, copiers and wireless printers. These devices are often overlooked by IT support and therefore a potential target for an intruder. Ways to mitigate wireless network Static IP addressing This is achieved by setting an IP address manually; this implementation process makes the hacking procedure a complicated course that requires several resources and commitment from the hacker. It is also important for the subnet size to be reduced in size in order for the access points to be blocked through the use of firewalls. WEP encryption This is an old fashion security process which implements the use of keys in ensuring that a wireless network is secured. The lights of the keys vary from 128 to 256 bits, in essence the longer the key the more efficient the security process. This is because of the time that the hacker will take in cracking to crack the network. Despite this method being one of the ways of protecting a wireless network, it has been dangerously flawed and therefore considered an insecure way of protecting the privacy of a wireless network. MAC ID filtering This is a method used in ensuring that only specific MAC IDs are allowed by the administrator into the network. In doing so, other MAC addresses are filtered from accessing the network through fake identification process. It is however important to note that some fake MAC IDs can be used to access the network making this option just like the WEP encryption unsafe way of securing a wireless network (Akyildiz and Sivakumar 2007, 35). Conclusion This analysis has shown how wireless network has flaws regarding its security; this is because of the availability of hacking tools and also the ease of using these tools in accessing a wireless network. Because of these security issues affecting the wireless network, it is important to ensure that the network has a defined Access Point (AP) and a filtering process that mitigates chances of unwanted eavesdropping. Bibliography Akyildiz, Ian Fuat and Sivakumar, Raghupathy.2007. Networking 2007: Ad hoc and sensor networks, wireless networks, next generation internet. Atlanta GA: Springer. Accessed on October 21, 2010 from: http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=r4V2G7yPLIAC&dq=Privacy+problems+in+wireles s+networks&source=gbs_navlinks_s Buttyán, Levente and Hubaux Jean-Pierre.2007. Security and cooperation in wireless networks: thwarting malicious and selfish behavior in the age of ubiquitous computing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Accessed on October 21, 2010 from: http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=EATgHiGtCc4C&dq=Privacy+problems+in+wireles s+networks&source=gbs_navlinks_s Daniel, Minoli. 2002. Hotspot networks: Wi-Fi for public access locations, Sydney: McGraw- Hill Professional. Accessed on October 21, 2010 from: http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=xUPFCWo7Ls4C&dq=Privacy+problems+in+wirele ss+networks&source=gbs_navlinks_s Janise, McNair Raheem, Beyah and Cherita, Corbett.2009. Security in Ad-Hoc and Sensor Networks, Sydney: World Scientific. Accessed on October 21, 2010 from: http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=yaaBwgVBi7MC&dq=Privacy+problems+in+wirele ss+networks&source=gbs_navlinks_s Jerman-Blažič, Borka and Klobučar, Tomaz.2004.Security and privacy in advanced networking technologies. New York: IOS Press. Accessed on October 21, 2010 from: http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=_Wn9OUot8rgC&dq=Privacy+problems+in+wireles s+networks&source=gbs_navlinks_s Patil, Basavaraj.2003. IP in wireless networks. Canberra: Prentice Hall PTR. Accessed on October 21, 2010 from: http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=4GMMG0SW4MAC&dq=Privacy+problems+in+wi reless+networks&source=gbs_navlinks_s Read More