Can The Ssid Be Encrypted; By Turning Off Ssid Broadcasting, Can Someone Still Sniff The Ssid; What Are Insertion Attacks; What Is A Wireless Snifter - ZyXEL Communications P-2608HWL-D1 Support Notes

P-2608HWL Series Support Notes

Can the SSID be encrypted?

WEP, the encryption standard for IEEE 802.11, only encrypts data packets not IEEE 802.11 management
packets and the SSID is in the beacon and probe management messages. Thus, an SSID is not encrypted if
WEP is turned on. An SSID is transmitted in clear text in the wireless network. This makes obtaining an
SSID easy by sniffing any IEEE 802.11 wireless traffic.

By turning off SSID broadcasting, can someone still sniff the SSID?

By default, many APs broadcast their SSIDs. Sniffers can easily scan and obtain the SSIDs in broadcast
beacon packets. Turning off SSID broadcasting in the beacon message (a common practice) does not
prevent anyone from obtaining or scanning the SSID. Since an SSID is sent in the clear in the probe
message when a wireless client associates to an AP, a snifter just has to wait for a valid user to associate
to the network to see the SSID.

What are Insertion Attacks?

Insertion attacks allow an intruder to access a network by placing unauthorized devices on the wireless
network without going through the security process (such as authentication).

What is a Wireless Snifter?

An attacker can sniff and capture legitimate traffic. Most Ethernet snifter tools capture the first part of the
connection session, where information such as the username and password are included. An intruder can
masquerade as a legitimate user by using the account information obtained. An intruder who monitors the
wireless traffic can apply this same method to gain access to the wireless network.
What is the difference between Open System and Shared Key Authentication Types ?
Open System:
This is the default authentication service that simply announces the desire to associate with another
station or access point. A station can authenticate with any other station or access point using open system
authentication if the receiving station also uses open system authentication.
Share Key:
This is the optional authentication method that involves a more rigorous exchange of frames, ensuring
that the requesting station is authentic. For a station to use shared key authentication, it must implement
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