2.1.1 Accidental association
There are number of ways where an intruder can access unauthorized data of a company’s wireless and wired networks. One of these methods is referred to as “accidental association”. When a user turns on a computer and it latches on to a wireless access point from a neighboring company’s overlapping network, the user may not even know that this has occurred. However, it is a security breach in that proprietary company information is exposed and now there could exist a link from one company to the other. This is especially true if the laptop is also hooked to a wired network.
2.1.2 Malicious association
When a wireless devices gets connected by a cracking laptop instead of a company access point (AP) then a malicious association takes place. Such kind of laptops are known as “soft APs” and which are created when a cracker runs some application that makes user’s wireless network card look like a legitimate access point. Once the cracker has gained access, he/she can steal passwords, launch attacks on the wired network, or plant trojans. Since wireless networks operate at the Layer 2 level, Layer 3 protections such as network authentication and virtual private networks (VPNs) offer no barrier. Wireless 802.1x authentications do help with protection but are still vulnerable to cracking. Using VPN these kind of attacks will not occur. Most likely the cracker is just trying to take over the client at the Layer 2 level.…show more content… Ad-hoc networks are defined as peer-to-peer networks between wireless computers that do not have an access point in between them. Such kind of networks have less protection, encryption methods can be used to provide
