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168 Chapter 4 • Communication Security: Wireless

Introduction

This chapter thoroughly discusses what you need to know about wireless technolo-
gies for the Security+ exam as well as to be an efficient security analyst.The
widespread popularity and use of wireless networks and technologies has grown
tremendously over the last few years. Providing secure wireless networking envi-
ronments has become paramount in both public and private sectors.Wireless net-
works can be very insecure if specific measures are not taken to properly manage
them; however, securing them is not impossible.

NOTE

Although the concepts of wireless in this chapter go above and beyond
what is covered on the Security+ exam, it is our belief that as a security
analyst you will need to know this information as you progress forward.
Therefore, we have highlighted areas you will definitely be expected to
know for the Security+ exam. Be sure you have a good grasp of wireless
technologies for the exam specifically concerning wireless security proto-
cols and vulnerabilities.

Wireless Concepts

This section covers some of the most popular wireless technologies used today for
wireless networking. In the past five years, two wireless network technologies have
seen considerable deployment:Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) networks and
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) networks based on the Institute of
Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specification.While these are
not the only wireless networking technologies available, they are the most popular
and must be understood to pass the wireless objectives on the Security+ certifica-
tion exam.

Understanding Wireless Networks

Connecting to a wireless network is often transparent to users; from their perspec-
tive it is no different than connecting to a copper-based or fiber-based Ethernet
network, with the exception that no wires are involved.Windows XP supports
automatic configuration and seamless roaming from one wireless network to

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