Cisco Wireless LAN Security

Chapter 6. Wireless Vulnerabilities

Wireless networks are particularly vulnerable to attacks because it is difficult to prevent physical access to them. The only advantage they have in this respect is that an attacker must be in physical proximity to the network, which can limit the pool of potential attackers. However, with cheap antennae, such as those at http://www.cantenna.com, an attacker can pick up or send signals from up to a few miles away. To secure a wireless network, an administrator should know what types of vulnerabilities exist and what types of attacks can exploit them.

Wireless networks are subject to both passive and active attacks. A passive attack is one in which an attacker just captures signals, whereas an active attack ...