Overview
FrançaisABSTRACT
The IEEE 802.11 standard drafted by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), a standardization body, specifies the characteristics of wireless local networks. In order to address the natural vulnerability of these wireless 802.11 networks, standards -and in particular two safety standards IEEE 802.1X and IEEE 802.11i - have undergone a significant improvement. The first had been originally drafted in order to authenticate terminals within wired networks. The second used to define the set of security mechanisms. This article provides a didactic synthesis of the selected technical solutions and notably IEEE 802.1x, IEEE 802.11i RSNA, EAP, TKIP, CCMP, WEP.
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Read the articleAUTHORS
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Maryline LAURENT: Professor at Institut Télécom - Télécom SudParis - Member of UMR SAMOVAR 5157
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Aymen BOUDGUIGA: Doctoral student at Institut Télécom - Télécom SudParis - Member of UMR SAMOVAR 5157
INTRODUCTION
The IEEE 802.11 standard issued by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) specifies the characteristics of wireless local area networks (WLAN – Wireless Local Area Network) in several amendments (a, b, d, e, g, h, i, j). Amendment 802.11i defines all the security mechanisms required for 802.11 networks. On the one hand, it ensures the authentication of wireless terminals. To this end, it adapts the IEEE 802.1X security solution, originally designed to authenticate terminals in the context of wired networks. On the other hand, it addresses the protection of data flows over the radio link, defining a data exchange protection service based on the historical WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) solution. The IEEE 802.11i amendment enhances the WEP solution by allowing encryption keys to be dynamic. To achieve this, it defines how to manage and exchange dynamic keys, by defining key management and security association protocols. The term RSN, for Robust Security Network, is often used in reference to the greatly improved security level compared to the original WEP. Finally, it enables 802.11 equipment implementing 802.11i to remain interoperable with earlier equipment implementing a WEP solution and static encryption keys.
These standards are complex and voluminous. Clear, concise documents on the subject are almost non-existent, or quickly require highly specialized knowledge. In this article, we propose to provide an overview of the security solutions included in the 802.11 standards, and to explain them in didactic detail.
This article begins with an introduction to 802.11 networks. It then presents the overall security solution as adopted, and reviews the various security components defined, such as solutions for authentication, cryptographic key and security association management, and data exchange protection. Finally, the article presents a new type of network – mesh networks – currently being standardized, with solutions recommended by the IEEE.
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802.11 network security
Bibliography
Websites
Club de la Sécurité de l'Information Français, IT threats and security practices in France, 2008 Edition https://clusif.fr/publications/menaces-informatiques-pratiques-de-securite-france-edition-2018-rapport/ (page consulted on December 23, 2009)
Standards and norms
- IEEE p. 802.11s/d2.06 : Part 11 : Wireless LAN MAC and physical layer specifications, amendment 10 : Mesh networking. IEEE draft - IEEE 802.11s TG - 01-09
- IEEE std. 802.11-2007 (revision of IEEE std. 802.11-1999) : Part 11 : Wireless LAN MAC and physical layer specifications. IEEE standard - IEEE 802.11 TG - 06-07
- IEEE std. 802.1x-2004 : Port based network access control. IEEE standard - IEEE 802.1X TG...
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