802.11 Security: Securing Wireless Networks

by Bruce Potter, Bob Fleck

Overview

Mention wireless networks, and the question of security will soon follow. It's not surprising that in spite of compelling business arguments for going wireless, many companies are holding back because of security concerns. But, while it's true that wireless networks create security issues that don't exist in wired networks, the issues are not insurmountable. 802.11 Security shows how you can plan for and successfully contend with security obstacles in your wireless deployment. This authoritative book not only explains the security issues, but shows you how to design and build a your own secure wireless network. 802.11 Security covers the entire process of building secure 802.11-based wireless networks, in particular, the 802.11b ("Wi-Fi") specification. The authors provide detailed coverage of security issues unique to wireless networking, such as Wireless Access Points (WAP), bandwidth stealing, and the problematic Wired Equivalent Privacy component of 802.11. You'll learn how to configure a wireless client and to set up a WAP using either Linux or Free BSD. You'll also find thorough information on controlling network access and encrypting client traffic. Beginning with an introduction to 802.11b in general, the book gives you a broad basis in theory and practice of wireless security, dispelling some of the myths along the way. In doing so, they provide you with the technical grounding required to think about how the rest of the book applies to your specific needs and situations. Next, the book details the technical setup instructions needed for both the Linux and FreeBSD operating systems. Some of the topics covered include:

• Station Security for Linux, FreeBSD, Open BSD, Mac OS X and Windows
• Setting Up Access Point Security
• Gateway Security, including building Gateways, firewall Rules, Auditing, etc.
• Authentication and Encryption
• FreeBSD IPsec client and gateway configuration
• Linux IPsec client and gateway configuration
• 802.1x authentication

802.11 Security is a book whose time has come. If you are a network, security, or systems engineer, or anyone interested in deploying 802.11b-based systems, you'll want this book beside you every step of the way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780596002909
Publisher:	O'Reilly Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	12/28/2002
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.19(h) x 0.49(d)

About the Author

is the Manager of Network and Security Operations for VeriSign's Mass Market's division. He manages the security for over a hundred network devices and several hundred servers. He's the founder of the Shmoo Group (www.shmoo.com), a web site for security, cryptography, and privacy professionals, and NoVAWireless (www.novawireless.org), a community-based wireless network project in Northern Virginia.

is a security researcher and the Director of Methodology Development at Secure Software, Inc. He has been involved in wireless networking both through the Northern Virginia community wireless group and through commercial security research into the topology of wireless networks. His recent work includes investigation of layer two attacks against wireless networking devices.

Table of Contents

Preface; Assumptions About the Reader; Scope of the Book; Conventions Used in This Book; Other Sources of Information; We’d Like to Hear from You; Acknowledgments; 802.11 Security Basics; Chapter 1: A Wireless World; 1.1 What Is Wireless?; 1.2 Radio Transmission; 1.3 Inherent Insecurity; 1.4 802.11; 1.5 Structure of 802.11 MAC; 1.6 WEP; 1.7 Problems with WEP; 1.8 Is It Hopeless?; Chapter 2: Attacks and Risks; 2.1 An Example Network; 2.2 Denial-of-Service Attacks; 2.3 Man-in-the-Middle Attacks; 2.4 Illicit Use; 2.5 Wireless Risks; 2.6 Knowing Is Half the Battle; Station Security; Chapter 3: Station Security; 3.1 Client Security Goals; 3.2 Audit Logging; 3.3 Security Updates; Chapter 4: FreeBSD Station Security; 4.1 FreeBSD Client Setup; Chapter 5: Linux Station Security; 5.1 Linux Client Setup; 5.2 Kernel Configuration; 5.3 OS Protection; 5.4 Audit Logging; 5.5 Secure Communication; Chapter 6: OpenBSD Station Security; 6.1 OpenBSD Client Setup; 6.2 Kernel Configuration; 6.3 OS Protection; 6.4 Audit Logging; Chapter 7: Mac OS X Station Security; 7.1 Mac OS X Setup; 7.2 OS Protection; 7.3 Audit Logging; Chapter 8: Windows Station Security; 8.1 Windows Client Setup; 8.2 OS Protection; 8.3 Audit Logging; 8.4 Secure Communication; Access Point Security; Chapter 9: Setting Up an Access Point; 9.1 General Access Point Security; 9.2 Setting Up a Linux Access Point; 9.3 Setting Up a FreeBSD Access Point; 9.4 Setting Up an OpenBSD Access Point; 9.5 Taking It to the Gateway; Gateway Security; Chapter 10: Gateway Security; 10.1 Gateway Architecture; 10.2 Secure Installation; 10.3 Firewall Rule Creation; 10.4 Audit Logging; Chapter 11: Building a Linux Gateway; 11.1 Laying Out the Network; 11.2 Building the Gateway; 11.3 Configuring Network Interfaces; 11.4 Building the Firewall Rules; 11.5 MAC Address Filtering; 11.6 DHCP; 11.7 DNS; 11.8 Static ARP; 11.9 Audit Logging; 11.10 Wrapping Up; Chapter 12: Building a FreeBSD Gateway; 12.1 Building the Gateway; 12.2 Building the Firewall Rules; 12.3 Rate Limiting; 12.4 DHCP; 12.5 DNS; 12.6 Static ARP; 12.7 Auditing; Chapter 13: Building an OpenBSD Gateway; 13.1 Building the Gateway; 13.2 Building the Firewall Rules; 13.3 Rate Limiting; 13.4 DHCP; 13.5 DNS; 13.6 Static ARP; 13.7 Auditing; Chapter 14: Authentication and Encryption; 14.1 Portals; 14.2 IPsec VPN; 14.3 802.1x; Chapter 15: Putting It All Together; 15.1 Pieces of a Coherent System; 15.2 User Knowledge; 15.3 Looking Ahead; Colophon;

Editorial Reviews

Slashdot.org
Exactly the type of "security in depth" book I've been needing to help me figure out how best to implement wireless networking at the office with minimal risk to the rest of the network. The authors write in a very approachable style and do a very good job of giving the necessary background before launching into any detailed discussions. I would highly recommend this book to anyone considering installing wireless networking without wanting to simultaneously install a simple back door to their network.