📘 06-03: Wireless Security¶
🔐 The Evolution of Wi-Fi Security¶
| Standard | Status | Cipher | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| WEP | ❌ Broken | RC4 | Cracks in minutes — never use |
| WPA | ⚠️ Legacy | TKIP/RC4 | Interim fix, deprecated |
| WPA2 | ✅ Common | AES-CCMP | Strong; still widely used |
| WPA3 | ✅ Best | AES + SAE | Resists offline password attacks |
- WPA3-Personal replaces the WPA2 4-way handshake with SAE (Simultaneous Authentication of Equals), providing forward secrecy and dictionary-attack resistance.
📌 Personal vs. Enterprise¶
| Personal (PSK) | Enterprise (802.1X) | |
|---|---|---|
| Auth | One shared passphrase | Per-user via RADIUS |
| Best for | Home / small office | Organizations |
| Revoke a user | Change PSK for everyone | Disable that one account |
802.1X roles: client = supplicant, AP = authenticator, RADIUS = authentication server.
📶 Common Wireless Threats¶
| Threat | Description |
|---|---|
| Evil twin | Rogue AP mimicking a real SSID to capture credentials |
| Rogue AP | Unauthorized AP plugged into the LAN |
| Deauth attack | Forcibly disconnect clients |
| War driving | Searching for open/weak Wi-Fi |
Mitigations: WPA2/WPA3, 802.1X, WIPS, and disabling unused APs. Hiding the SSID offers negligible real security.
Tip
Key idea — Use WPA2 (AES) at minimum, WPA3 (SAE) where possible. Choose Enterprise/802.1X for per-user auth in organizations. WEP is broken; SSID hiding is not real security.
See also: Wireless Design & Roaming, Network Access Control & AAA
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