Wireless network security: encryption and authentication

In previous articles, I have described how a wireless network works, its advantages over a physically wired network, and the disadvantages. By implementing the proper security settings and taking some preventative measures, you can limit unauthorized access to your network and minimize the downside of having an open broadcast wireless network in your home or office.

There is no way to prevent the propagation of your wireless network’s radio signal transmission from spreading beyond your home or even property lines. So you need to create a way to make it difficult for people to tune into your broadcast signal frequency, and more importantly, create an impenetrable security perimeter to prevent those tuning into your signals from decoding the signal content and allowing them access. at the information.

In other words, do we really not care if someone can detect and receive the signal transmitted from your wireless network? After all, how can you prevent them from receiving signals that are transmitted to your home or car? What is important are the steps that can be taken to protect the information contained in this transmission and provide you with security on the air link itself.

The two methods of securing an air link in today’s wireless network environment are encryption and authentication.

Encryption – The first level of defense against hackers and snoopers, encryption uses an encrypted code (technically known as cryptographic encryption) that scrambles your data into what appears to be gibberish to anyone who receives it. Only those users with the correct ‘key’ to crack this cipher will be able to accurately crack (unscramble) this gibberish in its original form.

Authentication – Put simply, this level of verification is to make sure that a person trying to access your network is someone authentic. Only authorized users can gain access to your network access point(s), your computers, or your Internet connection.

It should be noted that almost all wireless Internet equipment is shipped from the factory with all security features turned off or disabled. This is good and bad. It’s good because these security features can make initial installation, startup, testing, and configuration more difficult and add unnecessary complexity to just getting the network up and running. The downside is that most people, once they get the internet up and running, are delighted with the fact that they not only did it themselves, but immediately start surfing the internet from the bathroom or pool… just because they can! They either forget to come back or ignore the warnings. This leaves the network open for others to use.

And before you say you want to leave it open for your neighbors, think twice. While it’s a noble thing to want to share with your neighbors, there are others you may not want on your network. Every year more and more cases are reported where the owner of a wireless network allowed others to access their network only to discover that their network was being used for unscrupulous or illegal activities.

So if you decide to leave your network open, make sure you have some level of authentication set up for those you authorize and grant access to your network.

In the next series, we’ll look at the types of encryption and authentication.