Utilizing wireless networks to protect computers from harm and illegal access is known as wireless security. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) are the two most used types of wireless security (WEP). WEP is a notoriously lax security protocol. This is due to the fact that a basic laptop computer, along with widely accessible software tools, may frequently crack its password very quickly and easily. In 2003, WPA replaced WEP. Wi-Fi Protected Access was a quick alternative to Wired Equivalent Privacy that improved security. According to Nichols and Lekkas (2002), the current standard is WPA2, and a 256-bit key is used to encrypt the network with an encryption device. the length of the key is longer thus enhances security over Wired Equivalent Privacy. This paper will focus on at least three areas of wireless security, the future of wireless with the growing technology and why securing wireless networks are important.
Elements of Wireless Security
Individuals might set up wireless networks without any security either intentionally or not. This takes place since the source of several wireless APs is an industry in open access mode by default, which every security feature is founded. It is the responsibility of the purchaser to ensure they are turned on. Three actions which may assist to secure a wireless network include:
• Use of authentication to discourage unauthorized users
• Eliminating of rogue access points to prevent unofficial connections
• Encrypting to protect data during transmission (Xiao et al. 2009).
The primary wireless Local Area Network security concern is external users who maliciously or illicitly access the company’s wireless local area network. The second one is internal rogue access points, then lastly is encryption.
Types of Wireless Attacks
A number of techniques of wireless attacks depend on tricking users; others search for individuals who do not secure their networks and some. Some forms of wireless attacks include:
• Packet Sniffing
• Rogue Access Point
• Password Theft
• Man in the Middle Attack
• Jamming
• War Driving
• Bluetooth Attacks
• WEP/WPA Attacks (Nichols and Lekkas, 2002)
Wireless Security Measures
Some of the wireless security measures for a wireless network include Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol, WPAV, 802.11 security, SSID hiding, Temporary Key Integrity Protocol, Static IP addressing, MAC ID filtering, regular WEP, Extensible Authentication Protocol, EAP-versions and Lightweight Extensible Authentication Protocols (Li, Lou & Ren, 2010).
The Future of Wireless
Approximately 40% of the world’s populace has an Internet connection. This percentage of connectivity has realized an enormous jump in development from the 1% rate in 1995 (Frodig, Parkvall, Roobol, Johansson & Larsson, 2001). This is mainly a product of wireless networks that has transformed the way persons access the Internet. These networks easier to access, more dependable and far less complicated than previous methods. Individuals across the world connect to the Internet, specifically in remote as well as rural regions; offering them with easier access to medical care and economic and social advantages. Telecommunication industry continues to focus on advancements in wireless technology as it is always looking for a faster and more effective connectivity resolution.
5G
While 4G remains to be new to several nations, the telecommunications industry is already working on 5G. As this technology continues to be perfect, the goal is that all devices will be wirelessly connected via 5G networks. The demand for faster networks is real and urgent, due to the continuing rapid growth of data traffic. It has been predicted that networks have to be prepared for a 1,000-fold escalation in volumes of data by the 2020s.Many aspects of 5G networks still need to be decided, such as their technical requirements and industry regulations. The requirements already decided upon include speeds of connection of up to ten gigabits per second, along with less than one millisecond response times. Decisions remain regarding which band of radio spectrum 5G networks will use, and which wireless technologies are to be implemented. Producers of handset together with network gear need to know which standards they will have to comply with, including lower rates of power consumption. The advent of 5G network technology will bring an exponential boost in data speeds and low transmission latency, which will be necessary and beneficial to the Internet of Things (Frodig et al, 2001).
The future of wireless technology is paced by new flavors of Wi-Fi Obviously, 802.11ac and Wi-Fi are not the only flavors of Wi-Fi or the wireless standard. Actually, absolute numbers of wireless connectivity alternatives are one of the major issues illustrated by items that were displayed at CES 2016. They include WeMo and Z-Wave, Zigbee and Bluetooth-LE and still, the alternative methods continue to increase together with other advanced layer protocols which drive above wireless to allow applications of IoT and machine-to-machine. At CES 2016, there was current news on Wi-Fi that Wi-Fi-certified HaLow joins Wi-Fi-certified ac and WiGig-certified as the latest associate of the Wi-Fi-certified networking member. WiGig assured that it would create a shorter but faster Wi-Fi connectivity at CES 2015 that is by working within 60 GHz band which is perfect for similar room multigigabit cord-cutting (Li, Lou & Ren, 2010).Wi-Fi HaLow took Wi-Fi connectivity a bit slow and further operation at 900 megahertz at CES 2016, which is perfect for low-power sensor networks. Luckily, the success of the Wi-Fi Alliance with enabling programs like Passpoint and global interoperability shall result in convergence to the progressively disordered wireless scenery (Frodig et al, 2001).
Importance of Securing a Wireless Network
Wireless local area networks provide a person with an extraordinary liberty to locate printers, computers as well as other computing devices anyplace in a campus environment or in a building without requiring unwieldy cabling. Unluckily, this ability as well permits unauthorized users such as hackers to easily intercept data. That is for the reason that wireless networks use radio waves which are capable of “leaking” further than the building distances up to 300 feet and above. Thus, all things which one may do on the network are able to be theoretically monitored by any person with computers which have wireless capabilities (Xiao et al. 2009). Persons like that can see the E-mails, customer databases, financial records of the company as well as other vital information sent over the internet or locally. As long as the individual has identified your passwords, then he is capable of logging into your computer or server in order to steal valuable information from the hard drive or connect to sites which are secure on the Internet. The person can likewise set up your server as a relay for spam that could influence the performance of the network and probably cause the organization to be sued or blacklisted on the Internet. For that reason, one needs additional levels of security for the company’s wireless network. To be exact, besides the virus detectors, firewalls, and normal password protection, one has to have special security to deal with the particular problems related to wireless networks. Providentially, today there exist several industry standard security procedures which an individual may employ to protect his wireless network (Li et al. 2010).
Device servers are devoted intelligent products which connect devices such as point of sale products, security monitors, industrial equipment as well as medical instruments to networks. With the surfacing of wireless local area networks, wireless models of device servers have turned out to be famous since they permit devices to be mobile. Device servers also have a security problem since they regularly receive and send sensitive data. For instance, a device server linked to a medical instrument is sending confidential information of the patients all through the network (Frodig et al, 2001). Therefore, to avoid unauthorized users from viewing this data, strong security is needed. Also, security measures have to be taken to stop hackers from “spoofing” the device server with the aim of gaining access to the network. Device servers utilize a similar TCP/IP protocol as computers. Thus they are subjected to similar types of security vulnerabilities. Network security is just as powerful as its weakest connection. As a result, you can expose the whole network to hackers if you place a device server that is poorly secured on your network (Xiao et al. 2009).
Indeed, several network administrators today need that the entire devices conform to particular standards of network security; also devices that never support these standards cannot be utilized on the network.
References
Frodigh, M., Parkvall, S., Roobol, C., Johansson, P., & Larsson, P. (2001). Future-generation wireless networks. IEEE Personal Communications, 8(5), 10-17.
Li, M., Lou, W., & Ren, K. (2010). Data security and privacy in wireless body area networks. IEEE Wireless communications, 17(1).
Nichols, R. K., & Lekkas, P. C. (2002). Wireless security (p. 823). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Xiao, Y., Chen, H., Yang, S., Lin, Y. B., & Du, D. Z. (2009). Wireless network security.
