4.1 Wireless Network Security Protocols and Authentication

Question 1

What are the three fundamental security goals for any wireless network?

Answer 1

The three fundamental security goals are encryption, authentication, and integrity.

Encryption ensures data sent over the air is unreadable to attackers, authentication allows only authorized users to access the network, and integrity guarantees that data is received exactly as it was sent without alteration.

Question 2

What is the primary security vulnerability associated with the WPA2 protocol’s initial connection process?

Answer 2

The primary vulnerability in WPA2 is its four-way handshake, which allows an attacker to capture the pre-shared key hash and use brute-force techniques to discover the network’s pre-shared key.

Attacks can utilize GPU processing or cloud-based cracking methods.

Question 3

How does the WPA3 protocol specifically prevent the type of brute-force attack that WPA2 is susceptible to?

Answer 3

WPA3 prevents this attack by replacing the four-way handshake with Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE), which derives shared session keys on the end devices.

Question 4

What is GCMP, and what two key security features does it provide for WPA3 networks?

Answer 4

GCMP stands for Galois Counter Mode Protocol. It provides:
* Data confidentiality through robust encryption
* A Message Integrity Check (MIC) via the Galois message authentication code.

Question 5

Explain the difference between the WPA3-Personal and WPA3-Enterprise configurations.

Answer 5

WPA3-Personal is for home use with a shared pre-shared key, while WPA3-Enterprise uses centralized 802.1X authentication with unique credentials for each user.

Question 6

What are the three components of the AAA framework, and what is the function of each?

Answer 6

The three components are:
* Authentication: verifies a user’s identity
* Authorization: determines resource access
* Accounting: logs session metrics such as login times and data usage.

Question 7

What is RADIUS, and what is the primary reason for its widespread use in network authentication?

Answer 7

RADIUS stands for Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service, and it is widely used due to its long-standing presence and support by numerous network devices.

Question 8

What is the purpose of the 802.1X standard, also referred to as Network Access Control (NAC)?

Answer 8

The purpose of the 802.1X standard is to control access to a network by requiring valid credentials before granting access.

Question 9

What role does the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) play within the 802.1X process?

Answer 9

EAP provides a flexible structure for the authentication conversation within the 802.1X process, allowing customization to meet security requirements.

Question 10

Identify and briefly describe the three distinct services or devices involved in the 802.1X authentication process.

Answer 10

The three services are:
* Supplicant: the client device trying to connect
* Authenticator: the network device (e.g., a wireless access point)
* Authentication server: the AAA server that validates the supplicant’s credentials.

Question 11

Fill in the blank: The three components of the AAA framework are Authentication, _______, and Accounting.

Answer 11

Authorization

Question 12

True or False: WPA3 uses the same four-way handshake as WPA2.

Answer 12

False

Question 13

What is the alternative name for the Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE) key exchange method implemented in WPA3?

Answer 13

Dragonfly Handshake

Question 14

What does Accounting refer to in the context of the AAA framework?

Answer 14

Accounting is responsible for logging metrics associated with a user’s session, such as login/logout times and data transferred.

Question 15

What does the term ‘Pre-Shared Key (PSK)’ refer to?

Answer 15

A single password or passphrase shared among all users to gain access to a wireless network.

Question 16

What is the main security improvement of WPA3 over WPA2?

Answer 16

WPA3 eliminates the four-way handshake and uses SAE for secure key exchange.

Question 17

What does the term ‘Message Integrity Check (MIC)’ mean?

Answer 17

A cryptographic check used to verify that a message has not been altered in transit.