Wireless Network Vulnerabilities and Security Measures - Desklib

This article discusses the vulnerabilities of wireless networks and the security measures that can be taken to protect private information. It also includes a security guide for Netgear Nighthawk R7000.

Table of Contents
How wireless network make private information vulnerable................................................................2
Security measures are available...............................................................................................................2
Security guide for Netgear Nighthawk R7000.........................................................................................4
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How wireless network make private information vulnerable
According to Hern, A. (2018). “All Wi-Fi networks' are vulnerable to hacking, security expert
discovers”. Wireless networks are much vulnerable since anyone can physically intercept
network traffic as compared to wired connections.
Majority of the mobile devices nowadays support wireless network for example smartphones,
computers with wireless network cards etc. These wireless network are not safe since the
protocol that is being used to protect the Wi-Fi connections are vulnerable. Therefore user’s
private information are being exposed to the malicious attacks such as eavesdropping and man in
the middle attacks.
Wireless connections that are poorly configured have led attackers to inject malicious packets
into the network for example attackers adding ransom ware on the network or by adding website
links that has the payload for the ransom wares. People that are connected to wireless network
are also vulnerable themselves since they may give out there personal information without their
notice. This can be done by an attacker through phishing techniques.
Spoofing and sessions attacks may occur in wireless network if an attacker used the identity of
valid WLAN user. The attacker will use the valid IP address and valid MAC addresses. So the
session of the valid user can be hijacked by the attacker. All the users’ private information will
be accessible through this attack method.
According to Mathy Vanhoef, a security expert at Belgian university KU Leuven, discovered the
weakness in the wireless security protocol WPA2, and published details of the flaw.“Attackers
can use this novel attack technique to read information that was previously assumed to be safely
encrypted,” Vanhoef’s report said. “This can be abused to steal sensitive information such as
credit card numbers, passwords, chat messages, emails, and photos and so on” ().
An attacker may also fool legitimate wireless clients into connecting to the attacker’s own
network by placing an unauthorized access point with a stronger signal in close proximity to
wireless clients. The aim is to capture end-user passwords or other sensitive data when users
attempt to log on these rogue servers.
Man in the middle attack over the wireless network. This is very hard to identify if this happens
in any network. An attacker will route all the users’ traffics and decrypt the information. An
attacker will be able to identity credentials being send over the network and decrypt it to a plain
text. The attacker will be able to use target users’ credential for his own purpose.
Clear text password encryptions. If an organization computer is stolen anyone who will be able
to access that computer storage can be able to retrieved wireless network SSID and its password.
After attacker has identified network credentials he or she can launch an attack on other users by
sniffing the internet traffics to gain other credentials such emails password.
Voice over IP. Voip is sent in an unencrypted format in a network. So any network conversation
can be captured and recorded for further use by an attacker. They are third party tools that can be
used to eavesdrop Voip communications such as Vomit, Cain and Abel.
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Key Reinstallation attacks in one of the latest attack on WPA and WPA2 in wireless network.
This type of attack affects reinstallation of pairwise transient key on wireless client and access
point that is according to Top 3 Wi-Fi Security Vulnerabilities. (2018).This attack majorly affect
clients and the component infrastructure of an access point.
Security measures are available
When connecting to a wireless network users should confirm if the network is the correct or it’s
a rogue hotspot. This will aid in protecting users from connecting networks with malicious
activities.
Limit access to the network. This can be done by allowing access to the specific devices. This
can be done by done by setting routers to allow only devices with a certain mark address to
communicate in the network.
Changing routers default settings. Every time a new router or old is used in the network, network
administrator should not use the default router setting since most of the configurations are known
to the attackers and this can lead to the network insecurity.
Turn off remote access for the routers. Some routers allows remotes access which can be
exploited by the attackers if not turn off or set the strong password for the access for example
telnet protocol which allows the attacker to exploit and gain entry into the network.
Keeping router up to date. Manufactures keep on releasing new updates for routers firmware.
The updates are meant to fix security issues and improve performance on the routers. Therefore
system administrator should update routers firmware every time manufacturer releases a new
updates.
Users should also protect their devices from accessing roaming networks by turning off WIFI
mode in their mobile devices. Roaming networks are not safe since some of them targets users to
use so that they can obtain information from them.
Security assessments and audits are essential means for checking the security status of a wireless
network and identifying any corrective action necessary to maintain an acceptable level of
security. These assessments can help identify loopholes in the wireless network, such as poorly
configured access points using default or easily guessed passwords and SNMP community
words, or the presence or absence of encryption.
Due to the limited transmission capacity of a wireless network, a malicious attacker can easily
launch a Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack to bring down the network. Segmenting access point
coverage areas can balance the loads on a wireless network and minimize any impact from DoS
attacks.
Before installing WIFI network the area should be surveyed so that the area covering by wireless
network should be limited therefore any intrusion can be detected. Also adjustment of radio
frequencies using antennae can be control.
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MAC address filtering can be considered the first layer of defense for wireless networks. With
MAC address filtering enabled, only devices with pre-approved MAC addresses can see the
network and be granted access to the network.
Security policies on wireless network should be set and clearly state the ownership of the
policies implemented. After policies have been implemented, regularly review should be done to
ensure security control when new risks are identified.
Also during WI-FI planning process access point location should be considered as the factor.
This will ensure that the access point will be able to cover the identified area and ensure that
signal cover only the required area without leaking to unidentified areas. Also the system
administrator will be able to identify the target users of the wireless network.
Regular scanning of entire network should be schedule in any institution. This will ensure that
unidentified network which may be set by attackers are identified. If identified further actions
will be done by the institution.
Organization should educate users on wireless security policies for instance. Security is everyone
responsibility and users should know that they will share the cost of the attack in case it
happened. Also users should be aware of security risk when using public WIFI network. This
will ensure that they safeguard their information.
Other third party tools such as VPN in a network can be used to ensure that users’ internet
traffics are encrypted from any eavesdropping or man in the middle attacks that is according to
The Ten Most Critical Wireless and Mobile Security Vulnerabilities - Help Net Security. (2018).This will
harden the security infrastructure in any organization.
Security guide for Netgear Nighthawk R7000
According to NETGEAR R7000 USER MANUAL Pdf Download. (2018) the following is the guide on how to
set up a secured wireless network using Netgear Nighthawk R7000.
 Remove the router antenna caps
 Attach the antennae to the router.
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Figure 1. Netgear R7000 Antennae set up
 Align the antennae with the antennae posts on the router
 Attach the antennae on the threaded antennae post.
 Position antennae for the best Wi-Fi performance that is at forty five degrees
 Prepare the internet modem
Figure 2 Internet Modem set up
 Connect the router to the internet modem
Figure 3 Internet Modem and Netgear R7000 Router Setup
 Plugin then turn on the modem
 Connect the power adapter to the router and plug the power adapter into the outlet
 Wait for the power led on the right panel to light amber and turn white. If no led light
power on/off button on the rear panel of the router
 Prepare your computer network settings
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Figure 4. Network Adapter IPV4 Settings
 Connect Computer and to the router using Ethernet cable or using WI-FI. Make sure if
the router is powered on and led light is lit. If your Computer is set to static IP address
change it to obtain IP address dynamically in the Network adapter settings.
Figure 5 Internet Connection Setup
 To login to the router launch a web browser and enter www.routerlogin.net. A login
screen will display. Enter admin for user field and password for the password field. The
home screen will be displayed. The Netgear will detect the internet automatically.
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 Setup WI-FI network name and password. WIFI settings are on the product label.
NETGEAR recommends that you use the preset Wi-Fi settings because you can check
the product label if you forget them. NETGEAR genie lets you change these settings.
Write down the new Wi-Fi settings and store them in a safe place.
 Choose a new router password and provide a security questions
 Update firmware if there is a new update version
 To join the WI-FI network press WPS button on the router for three to five seconds. The
WPS LED will blink white. The WI-FI now is available for other computers to connect
into it.
 To select router Wi-Fi from the computer open software utility that manages WIFI
network connections on the computer. This utility display all the available WI-FI.
 Select WIFI SSID and input its password.
 You are now connected to the internet.
References
RegExp('tomsguide|optimizelypreview|cache|google|yahoo|bing|archive', ". (2018). How to Set
Up and Secure Your Netgear Nighthawk R7000P Router. Tom's Guide. Retrieved 8 April 2018,
from https://www.tomsguide.com/us/netgear-nighthawk-r7000p-ac2300-setup-guide,review-
4107.html
Hern, A. (2018). 'All wifi networks' are vulnerable to hacking, security expert discovers. the
Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2018, from
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/16/wpa2-wifi-security-vulnerable-hacking-
us-government-warns
NETGEAR R7000 USER MANUAL Pdf Download. (2018). Manualslib.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018, from
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/582801/Netgear-R7000.html
Top 3 Wi-Fi Security Vulnerabilities. (2018). Techopedia.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018, from
https://www.techopedia.com/2/28536/networks/wireless/top-3-wi-fi-security-vulnerabilities
The Ten Most Critical Wireless and Mobile Security Vulnerabilities - Help Net Security. (2018). Help Net
Security. Retrieved 10 April 2018, from https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2006/06/29/the-ten-most-
critical-wireless-and-mobile-security-vulnerabilities/
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