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Tip of the Month

December 2003

Is your wireless network naughty or nice?

And since we've got a huge space to roam scan 802.11 g, a & b!

When scanning your 802.11 wireless network for security risks remember to scan all channels even if they are not officially in use. Ideally scan all 14 channels and also scan 802.11a, b and g. If you only use 802.11b you still may have users with rogue access points using 802.11a or g. Combination Network Interface Cards are available that support a/b/g.

Ensure that you do not have clear data packets on the wireless network. Take a look at the Channels tab in AiroPeek NX and turn on the 'Data' and 'WEP' columns by right clicking any column header. These columns may be dragged so that they are beside each other. Ideally you will find that the number of packets reported under the data column should equal the number of WEP packets for that channel. If you find any number of data packets and less WEP packets then you will want to take a look at the actual packets and find out the sending and receiving stations and what they were doing. The Protocols tab allows you to view protocols riding on top of data packets. For packets that are not encrypted and include data you will be able to see what protocols are in use from the Protocols tab.

You would then want to configure WEP or another form of encryption on each node that is sending non-encrypted packets if they are legitimately on the network.

If you have a large area to traverse or are geographically separated you may skip the 'sneaker patrol' and opt for RF Grabber