The Internet
8th Edition
Tutorial 8
Wireless Networking and
Security
Objectives
• Explore the history of wireless communication
• Learn about Wi-Fi, MiFi, and wireless mesh networks
• Investigate technologies used in personal area networks
• Learn about wireless wide area networks and WiMAX
• Investigate wireless devices and wireless business plans
that let you access the Internet
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Objectives
• Investigate security concerns of wireless networks
• Evaluate different wireless encryption methods
• Investigate security concerns of wireless devices
• Learn how to protect the data stored on a wireless
device
• Learn about the different types of attacks on wireless
devices
• Learn about the different types of attacks on Bluetooth
devices
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
The Evolution of Wireless
Networks
• A wireless connection occurs when data is transferred
to another location without the use of any wires
• In 1994, carriers created digital networks, or Personal
Communication Service (PCS), where data was
carried in bits at a rate of up to 14.4 Kbps
• In 1999, the first wireless connections were made to the
Internet
• A personal digital assistant (PDA) is a handheld
computer that can send and receive wireless telephone
and fax calls, act as a personal organizer, perform
calculations, store notes, and display Web pages
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
The Evolution of Wireless
Networks
• 2G wireless or second-generation wireless allows
data transfer
• Short Message Service (SMS) is a widely-used service
that lets users send text messages of up to 160
characters over a 2G wireless network to a wireless
phone
• 3G or third-generation wireless networks offer data
transfer rates of up to 2 Mbps and constant connections
• The availability of nationwide 3G service depends on the
ability of the carriers to build the networks and establish
partnerships with the manufacturers of the devices and
hardware
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
The Evolution of Wireless
Networks
• Many carriers have transformed and upgraded their
existing networks by creating 2.5G wireless networks
that deliver faster transfer speeds and allow you to send
files and access the Internet
• A wireless device is usually manufactured to work on
only a single type of network
• 3.5G wireless networks or mobile broadband provide
network connections of up to 10 Mbps
• 3.5 G wireless networks already exist in a handful of
countries
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
The Evolution of Wireless
Networks
• 4G technology is expected to bring network connection
speeds of up to 100 Mbps and deliver high-quality audio
and video to wireless devices
• Cellular was the first industry to create wireless
connections that served large geographical areas
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Wireless Local Area
Networking
• A wireless local area network (WLAN) is a network in
which devices use high-frequency radio waves instead of
wires to communicate with a base station, which is
connected to the Internet
• Wi-Fi or wireless fidelity is the trademarked name of
the Wi-Fi Alliance that specifies the interface between a
wireless client and a base station, or between two
wireless clients to create a hotspot
• A hotspot is an area of network coverage
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Wireless Local Area
Networking
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Wireless Local Area
Networking
• The transfer rate of data is the speed at which data is
transmitted from an access point to a wireless device
• An access point is a hardware device with one or more
antennae that permits communication between wired
and wireless networks so wireless clients can send and
receive data
• The range is the physical distance between the access
point and the wireless device
• A device called a dual band access point makes it
possible to connect devices configured with two different
Wi-Fi standards to the same access point
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Wireless Local Area
Networking
• A multiple band access point makes it possible to
connect any wireless device to the same access point
• Most new notebook computers and other wireless
devices are manufactured with Wi-Fi compatible
hardware installed in them and software that locates WiFi signal and automatically initiates the connection to the
wireless network
• MiFi is a small wireless device a user keeps in a pocket
or briefcase that provides a battery-operated, mobile,
personal hotspot for connecting Wi-Fi devices to the
Internet
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Wireless Mesh Networks
• Another type of wireless local area network is a wireless
mesh network, which is commonly used to extend the
reach of Wi-Fi hotspots to an enterprise
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Personal Area Networking
• Personal area networking (PAN) refers to the wireless
network that you use to connect personal devices to
each other
• There are two major types of PANs:
– Using infrared technology you can wirelessly beam
information from one device to another using infrared
light
– Bluetooth provides short-range radio links between
electronic devices
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Personal Area Networking
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Personal Area Networking
• A piconet can connect two to eight devices at a time
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Wireless Wide Area
Networking
• Wireless wide area networking (WWAN) makes it
possible to access the Internet from anywhere within the
boundaries of the WWAN
• A WWAN is a wireless network that provides network
coverage to a large geographical area
• To access the Internet using a WWAN, you need a
WWAN PC card for the device you want to use and an
account with the cellular carrier that owns the network
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Metropolitan Area
Networking: WiMAX
• WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave
Access) uses the 802.16 standards defined by the IEEE
for metropolitan area networks
• WiMAX is similar to Wi-Fi because it uses radio waves,
but it transmits at a different radio spectrum and provides
a much greater range to create a metropolitan area
network
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Metropolitan Area
Networking: WiMAX
• A metropolitan area network (MAN) provides wireless
broadband Internet access via radio signals in the 2 to
100 GHz and 10 to 66 radio spectrum, with a range of up
to 31 miles and speeds of up to 70 Mbps
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Metropolitan Area
Networking: WiMAX
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Using Wireless Devices to
Access the Internet
• The best way to begin a search for wireless solutions is
to begin with an exploration of the network you’ll use
• Most carriers offer specific products to work on their
networks
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Security Concerns for
Wireless Networks
• Threats common to all wireless networks:
– Attacks that prevent the use of a device or decrease the
network’s bandwidth
– Intercepting information sent over a wireless network
– Hacking into a wireless device to gain entry to its data or
functions
– Stealing the identity of an access point to gain access to
its connected users’ devices
– Viruses, spyware, and other security threats sent in the
form of files
– Using information entered by the user into a wireless
device to steal logins and other sensitive information
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Wireless Encryption Methods
• Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is a security protocol
for wireless LANs that works by encrypting data sent
over the network
• When WEP is enabled, it encrypts the data sent over the
network with a key, or passphrase, that is entered by
the user
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Wireless Encryption Methods
• Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a standard that was
developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance in 2003 to address some
of the inherent weaknesses in WEP
• WPA provides better encryption than WEP
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
MAC Address Filtering
• Each manufacturer of network interface cards adds a
unique number, called a Media Access Control
address (MAC address) to identify the device
• A wireless network can be protected by designating the
devices allowed to connect to the network
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Disabling the SSID Broadcast
• When a wireless router or access point sends out its
signal, it also broadcasts its service set identifier
(SSID) as a way of identifying the network’s name
• The SSID makes it possible for roaming devices to
discover the network and enables you to log in to the
correct network
• Wardriving is a malicious activity that involves driving
through a neighborhood with a wireless-enabled
notebook computer with the goal of locating homes and
businesses that have wireless networks in order to gain
access to them
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Changing the Default Login
• One of the most serious mistakes that home users make
when installing a wireless network is the failure to
change the default login for a device
• When you install a wireless network, make it a priority to
change the default login and password
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Changing the Default Login
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Security Concerns for
Wireless Devices
• The most basic security concern for the owner of a
wireless device is theft or loss
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Protecting the Data on a
Wireless Device
• Wireless devices are subject to over-the-shoulder
attacks, in which an unauthorized person uses his or her
physical proximity to your device to attempt to get your
login information, passwords, or other sensitive data
while you’re working
• When working in a business facility, opt for a wired
Ethernet connection whenever possible
• Setting a password on your device is another way to
protect it
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Evil Twin Attacks
• An evil twin attack or café latte attack is when a
hacker gathers information about an access point and
then uses that information to set up his own computer to
use the real access point’s signal to impersonate the
access point
• When you use a free public hotspot, the data you send is
not usually encrypted or secure and so it is subject to
hackers using sniffer programs to illegally monitor
activity on the wireless network in order to obtain
personal information that you might transmit
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Security Concerns for
Bluetooth Devices
• In Bluejacking the bluejacker sends an anonymous
message in the form of a phone contact displayed as a
text message to a Bluetooth device to surprise the
owner, express an opinion, or make a social connection
• Bluejacking, although alarming, is mostly harmless
• To protect a Bluetooth device from a bluejacking attack,
you can disable the device’s Bluetooth feature so that its
signal is invisible or undiscoverable
• Bluesnarfing occurs when a hacker with special
software is able to detect the signal from a Bluetooth
device and gain access to its data without the owner’s
knowledge
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Security Concerns for
Bluetooth Devices
• The worst security threat to Bluetooth devices is
bluebugging, which occurs when a hacker gains access
to the device and its functions without the owner’s
consent
• Bluebugging allows the hacker to use the device to make
phone calls, access data, and use the Internet
• Most manufactures have released patches to fix the
security flaw that makes bluebugging possible
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Summary
• Wireless communication is rapidly changing
• WiFi, MiFi, and wireless networks
• Technologies used in personal area networks
• Wireless wide area networks and WiMAX
• Wireless devices and wireless business plans
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition
Summary
• Security concerns of wireless networks
• Different wireless encryption methods
• Security concerns of wireless devices
• Protecting data stored on a wireless device
• Types of attacks on wireless devices
• Types of attacks on Bluetooth devices
New Perspectives on the Internet, 8th Edition