Introduction - Wireless security and cryptography

This chapter covers how SSL/TLS uses cryptographic tools to secure data, and how the 802.11 wireless standard enforces security through authentication, encryption, and integrity mechanisms

Chapter 5: Wireless security and cryptography

This chapter covers how SSL/TLS uses cryptographic tools (symmetric encryption, asymmetric encryption, and hashing) to secure data over the Internet, and how the 802.11 wireless standard enforces security through authentication, encryption, and integrity mechanisms.

This chapter will help students:

• Develop a foundational understanding of how cryptographic tools (symmetric/asymmetric encryption, and hashing) secure Internet communications via SSL/TLS.

• Understand how symmetric encryption (AES), asymmetric encryption (RSA), and hashing (SHA-256) secure data in transit.

• Describe how digital certificates and asymmetric keys enable authentication and message signing.

• Develop a practical understanding of RSA’s key generation, encryption, and signing capabilities.

• Understand how the 802.11 standard provides a basis for a wireless security management framework (client authentication, message privacy, and message integrity).

• Become familiar with key authentication methods and encryption and message integrity algorithms used in securing wireless networks.

Topics covered in this chapter

How hashing algorithms (SHA-256) can be used to ensure the integrity of messages exchanged between hosts.

How symmetric encryption (AES) and asymmetric encryption (RSA) can be used to protect the confidentiality of data.

How asymmetric keys can be used for message signing.

Three common methods of authentication: username and password, Pre-Shared Keys (PSKs), and digital certificates.

The SSL/TLS handshake (certificate validation and secure negotiation of symmetric session keys).

Replay attacks, and anti-replay methods (sequence numbers, cryptographic hashes, and rotating the secret keys).

The steps involved in generating an RSA key and applying the key to a plain text to see how RSA encryption works.

802.11 authentication methods, including open authentication, WEP, and 802.1x/EAP.

802.11 privacy and integrity methods, including TKIP, AES-CCMP (WPA2), GCMP (WPA3), and MIC (Message Integrity Check).

Compare WPA, WPA2, and WPA3 protocols for authentication and encryption.