802.11 Security

Description

Beginning with an introduction to 802.11b in general, 802.11 Security 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. 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.

Full Description

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.

Table of Contents

802.11 Security Basics
1. Chapter 1 A Wireless World
  1. What Is Wireless?
  2. Radio Transmission
  3. Inherent Insecurity
  4. 802.11
  5. Structure of 802.11 MAC
  6. WEP
  7. Problems with WEP
  8. Is It Hopeless?
2. Chapter 2 Attacks and Risks
  1. An Example Network
  2. Denial-of-Service Attacks
  3. Man-in-the-Middle Attacks
  4. Illicit Use
  5. Wireless Risks
  6. Knowing Is Half the Battle
Station Security
1. Chapter 3 Station Security
  1. Client Security Goals
  2. Audit Logging
  3. Security Updates
2. Chapter 4 FreeBSD Station Security
  1. FreeBSD Client Setup
3. Chapter 5 Linux Station Security
  1. Linux Client Setup
  2. Kernel Configuration
  3. OS Protection
  4. Audit Logging
  5. Secure Communication
4. Chapter 6 OpenBSD Station Security
  1. OpenBSD Client Setup
  2. Kernel Configuration
  3. OS Protection
  4. Audit Logging
5. Chapter 7 Mac OS X Station Security
  1. Mac OS X Setup
  2. OS Protection
  3. Audit Logging
6. Chapter 8 Windows Station Security
  1. Windows Client Setup
  2. OS Protection
  3. Audit Logging
  4. Secure Communication
Access Point Security
1. Chapter 9 Setting Up an Access Point
  1. General Access Point Security
  2. Setting Up a Linux Access Point
  3. Setting Up a FreeBSD Access Point
  4. Setting Up an OpenBSD Access Point
  5. Taking It to the Gateway
Gateway Security
1. Chapter 10 Gateway Security
  1. Gateway Architecture
  2. Secure Installation
  3. Firewall Rule Creation
  4. Audit Logging
2. Chapter 11 Building a Linux Gateway
  1. Laying Out the Network
  2. Building the Gateway
  3. Configuring Network Interfaces
  4. Building the Firewall Rules
  5. MAC Address Filtering
  6. DHCP
  7. DNS
  8. Static ARP
  9. Audit Logging
  10. Wrapping Up
3. Chapter 12 Building a FreeBSD Gateway
  1. Building the Gateway
  2. Building the Firewall Rules
  3. Rate Limiting
  4. DHCP
  5. DNS
  6. Static ARP
  7. Auditing
4. Chapter 13 Building an OpenBSD Gateway
  1. Building the Gateway
  2. Building the Firewall Rules
  3. Rate Limiting
  4. DHCP
  5. DNS
  6. Static ARP
  7. Auditing
5. Chapter 14 Authentication and Encryption
  1. Portals
  2. IPsec VPN
  3. 802.1x
6. Chapter 15 Putting It All Together
  1. Pieces of a Coherent System
  2. User Knowledge
  3. Looking Ahead

Colophon

Product Details

Title:

802.11 Security

By:

Bruce Potter, Bob Fleck

Publisher:

O'Reilly Media

Formats:

Print
Safari Books Online

Print Release:

December 2002

Pages:

192

Print ISBN:

978-0-596-00290-9

| ISBN 10:

0-596-00290-4

Customer Reviews

About the Authors

Bruce Potter

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.

View Bruce Potter's full profile page.
Bob Fleck

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.

View Bob Fleck's full profile page.

Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of 802.11 Security is an Indian ringnecked parakeet. Indian ringnecked parakeets are native to northern Africa and India, but are kept as pets all over the world. They get their name from the distinct black ring that males develop upon reaching maturity.

Though Indian ringnecked parakeets are usually green, breeders have been able to produce blue, yellow, and albino mutations. Their beaks are dark coral on top and black underneath. The birds can reach between 16 and 20 inches from the top of their heads to the tips of their long tails.

These parakeets are very playful and require a lot of attention when kept in captivity. They can learn to talk and are talented whistlers. When treated well and kept active, they can live up to 30 years. Darren Kelly was the production editor, Maureen Dempsey was the copyeditor, and Jan Fehler was the proofreader for 802.11 Security. Nancy Crumpton provided production services and wrote the index. Linley Dolby and Claire Cloutier provided quality control.

Emma Colby designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

David Futato designed the interior layout. This book was converted to FrameMaker 5.5.6 with a format conversion tool created by Erik Ray, Jason McIntosh, Neil Walls, and Mike Sierra that uses Perl and XML technologies. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is Lucas-Font's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia FreeHand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. The tip and warning icons were drawn by Christopher Bing. Linley Dolby wrote the colophon.

O'Reilly Books & Videos

802.11 Security Basics

Chapter 1 A Wireless World

Chapter 2 Attacks and Risks

Station Security

Chapter 3 Station Security

Chapter 4 FreeBSD Station Security

Chapter 5 Linux Station Security

Chapter 6 OpenBSD Station Security

Chapter 7 Mac OS X Station Security

Chapter 8 Windows Station Security

Access Point Security

Chapter 9 Setting Up an Access Point

Gateway Security

Chapter 10 Gateway Security

Chapter 11 Building a Linux Gateway

Chapter 12 Building a FreeBSD Gateway

Chapter 13 Building an OpenBSD Gateway

Chapter 14 Authentication and Encryption

Chapter 15 Putting It All Together

Colophon

Bruce Potter

Bob Fleck