Security Aspect of Wi-fi Technology: A Survey Paper Research Paper 2022

SECURITY ASPECT OF WI-FI TECHNOLOGY: A SURVEY PAPER
Abstract
With the increase in network connections in homes and Businesses, educational institutions and
streets wireless networks remains to be the most used. This is due to the need of flexibility of
communication in the world of computing without reliance of communication cables. The wide
usage and easy access poses a great security threat to private information. This paper illustrates
the security aspects of Wi-Fi: 802.11 (BEHROUZ A. FOROUZAN, 2017)
Introduction
Development of wireless networks started in 1990s but IEEE 802.11 wireless network LAN (Wi-
Fi) remains to be most used in all areas ranging from homes to businesses. There are several
standards of 802.11 which share several characteristics. These characteristics are:
 They all use the same link-layer frame structure.
 They can all reduce their transmission rate to enable them cover a greater distance.
 Latest standard are capable to still interact with older standards while the older standards
can still interact with newer versions.
However, all the standards have major differences majorly in the frequencies that the devices
operate in that they operate in 2.4 GHz frequency range (2.4–2.485 GHz) and 5 GHz frequency
range (5.1 – 5.8 GHz). Older standards used one standard, either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz range while
the latest versions (802.11n and 802.11ac) utilizes multiple input multiple-output (MIMO)
antennas transmitting/receiving both frequency ranges. (JAMES F. KUROSE, 2017)
Wi-Fi Standard Data Rate Frequency Range
802.11b ~ 11 Mbps 2.4 Gigahertz
802.11a ~ 54 Mbps 5 Gigahertz
802.11g ~ 54 Mbps 2.4 Gigahertz
802.11n ~ 450 Mbps 2.5 Gigahertz and 5 Gigahertz
802.11ac ~ 1300 Mbps 5 Gigahertz
Table 1.1
Security aspects

Wide usage of wireless networks make them vulnerable to all forms of security attacks. These
attacks include passive attacks where networks communication are monitored and active attacks
where network is exploited by insiders or through service providers.
Security Goals
To avert these exploits and threats, the systems must have measures to guarantee the secrecy of
information passing through the network. To achieve network security the Wi-Fi system
following goals should be attained: (JAMES F. KUROSE, 2017)
1. Authentication- Before sending or receiving data using Wi-Fi, the sender and receiver
must be identified and their identity verified.
2. Integrity - the content of data sent through the system must be authentic and unmodified
between the sender endpoint and receiver endpoint.
3. Secrecy - the data sent through the system can only be interpreted by the sender and the
receiver and no one in between.
4. Non-Repudiation –this means that there is no possibility that the sender can deny sending
a message.
To ensure security of data transmitted through the network, security mechanisms have been put
in place and standardized in 802.11 standards. These security techniques are known as wired
equivalent privacy (WEP), Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA and WPA2). (S. D. Kanawat, 2011)
Wired equivalent privacy (WEP).
This protocol was designed in 1999 to give provision of authentication and data encryption
between the host and wireless access points using a symmetric shared key approach. It utilizes
40-bit and 128-bit encryption key. There is no key management algorithm in WEP and therefore
it uses an out-band key to authenticate the host and access point. The authentication process is as
follows:
1. Host makes a request to the access point for its authentication.
2. The access point transmits a reply with a 128-bit key to the host.
3. The host creates an encrypted key and sends it to the access point.
4. The received host-encrypted key is decrypted by the access point.