Eion LibraPlus 5845, User Manual, Page: 55 / 140

Example 4.13. Enable DFS
EION: interface Wireless 0 atpc
ATPC is turned on.
4.2.5. Wireless Security Settings
4.2.5.1. Wireless Security Overview
Wireless networks are insecure, because they are vulnerable to attacks which are more difficult to
launch in the wired domain. Many wired networks benefit from their inherent physical security prop-
erties. For example, it is unlikely that an adversary will dig up the cable and splice into the line.
However, wireless communications are difficult to protect; they are by nature a broadcast medium. In
a broadcast medium, adversaries can easily eavesdrop on, intercept, inject, and alter transmitted data.
In addition, adversaries can interact with the network from a distance by using expensive radio trans-
ceivers and powerful workstations.
The wireless industry has created a wide range of security technologies to provide confidentiality
comparable to that of a traditional wired network.
WEP
WEP was the first attempt of IEEE 802.11 developers to protect wireless communication from eaves-
dropping (confidentiality), prevent unauthorized access to a wireless network (access control) and
prevent tampering with transmitted messages (data integrity). WEP uses the RC4 stream cipher,
combining a 40 bit WEP key with a 24 bit random number known as an Initialization Vector (IV) to
encrypt the data. The sender XORs the stream cipher with the actual data to produce ciphertext. The
packet, combined with the IV with the ciphertext, is sent to the receiver. The receiver decrypts the
packet using the stored WEP key and the attached IV.
Unfortunately, the encryption protocol had not been subjected to a significant amount of peer review
before release. Serious security flaws were present in the protocol. Although the application of WEP
may stop casual sniffers, experienced hackers can crack the WEP keys in a busy network within
15 minutes. In general, WEP was considered as a broken protocol.
WEP is still supported in LibraPlus for compatibility reasons.
IEEE 802.1x
Simple authentication is one of the weaknesses of WEP. Authentication reinforcement is the first step
to prevent malicious WEP network access. The IEEE 802.1x standard was found as the most suitable
additional authentication barrier.
802.1x was initially designed for wired networks but is also applicable to wireless networks. The
standard provides port-based access control and mutual authentication between clients and access
points via an authentication server.
The 802.1x standard is comprised of three elements:
• Supplicant – a user or a client being authenticated. It can be the client software on a laptop, PDA
or other wireless device.
• Authentication server – an authentication system, such as a RADIUS server that handles actual
authentications by checking logins and passwords, digital certificates, etc.
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Configuration