For example, the IDS can see when an Orinoco WLAN card connects to the network using the MAC address of a Cisco WLAN card.Īs one of the more sophisticated attacks, the 'man in the middle' can break a secure VPN connection between an authorized station and an access point. WLAN intrusion-detection systems (IDS) can also identify when a MAC address is spoofed by analyzing the vendor 'fingerprints' of the WLAN card.

The hacker then connects to the WLAN as an authorized user.īy monitoring the airwaves of their WLANs, companies can detect MAC spoofing by identifying when more than one MAC address is simultaneously on the network. The hacker can then assume the identity of that user by asserting the stolen MAC address as his own. Software tools, such as Kismet or Ethereal, allow hackers to easily pick off the MAC addresses of an authorized user. Any user can easily change the MAC address of a station or access point to change its identity and defeat MAC address-based authentication. Although this provides low-level security for smaller deployments, MAC addresses were never intended to be used in this manner. Many enterprises secure their WLANs with authentication based on an authorized list of Media Access Control (MAC) addresses. Monitoring the network is the only way to know what your stations are connecting to and which stations are connecting to your access points. Rather, it takes over the security-poor client.Įnterprises must monitor the airwaves of their WLANs to make sure their stations connect only to authorized access points and networks. This attack doesn't try to break the VPN. Even WLANs that have deployed virtual private networks (VPN) are vulnerable to malicious associations.

Stations can be tricked or forced to connect to a malicious access point. The malicious-association attack shows that WLANs are subject to diversion and that stations don't always know which network or access point they connect to. The hacker can exploit all vulnerabilities on the victim's laptop, which can include installing the HostAP firmware or any other laptop configuration or programmatic changes.

The hacker - acting as an access point - can then use a wealth of available hacking tools that are proven in a wired environment. After providing an IP address to the victim's workstation (if needed), the malicious access point can begin its attacks. As the victim's station broadcasts a probe to associate with an access point, the hacker's new malicious access point responds to the victim's request for association and begins a connection between the two.

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