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246 Chapter 4 • Communication Security: Wireless

A: Because wireless devices are half-duplex devices, you cannot wholly prevent
your wireless traffic from being listened to by unauthorized individuals.The
only defense against eavesdropping is to encrypt layer 2 and higher traffic
whenever possible.

Q: Are wireless networks secure?
A: By their very nature and by definition, wireless networks are not secure.They
can, however, be made relatively safe from the point of view of security
through administrative effort to encrypt traffic, to implement restrictive
methods for authenticating and associating with wireless networks, and so on.

Q: Why should I do frequent site surveys?
A: A site survey will reveal the presence of unauthorized APs. Some of these APs
could be placed to facilitate a MITM attack or to gain access to the physical
network from a safe location. On the other hand, the unauthorized APs could
have been purchased and implemented by departmental staff without your
knowledge but with no malicious intent.Wireless networks are relatively inex-
pensive and easy to set up. It is natural for people to desire to implement tech-
nology they think will make their lives easier without waiting for
knowledgeable staff in the IT department to implement it for them. Even if
your company does not have a wireless network, it may be a good idea to con-
duct wireless site surveys to protect your wired network if you suspect there is
a likelihood of employees installing their own APs to increase their productivity.

Q: My AP does not support the disabling of SSID broadcasts. Should I purchase a
new one?
A: Disabling SSID broadcasts adds only one barrier for the potential hacker.
Wireless networks can still be made relatively safe even if the AP does respond
with its SSID to a beacon probe. Disabling SSID broadcasts is a desirable fea-
ture. However, before you go out and purchase new hardware, check to see if
you can update the firmware of your AP.The AP vendor may have released a
more recent firmware version that supports the disabling of SSID broadcasts. If
your AP does not support firmware updates, consider replacing it with one that
does.

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