Chapter 9: Attacking Wireless Networks

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Introduction

Wireless networks are vulnerable to attackers. This statement should not come as a big surprise because all networks are vulnerable to attackers. Wireless network security is discussed in detail in Chapters 10 (“Basic Wireless Network Security”) and 11 (Advanced Wireless Network Security), but before we look at ways to defend your wireless network, you need to understand what you are defending it from.

This chapter provides you with an understanding of how attackers compromise wireless networks, as well as the common approaches that are used. The level of security on these networks ranges from none at all to commercial-grade secondary security mechanisms. The approaches and techniques are presented to help wireless network administrators understand what they must defend against and should not be used to gain unauthorized access to wireless networks. These techniques are also valuable for performing wireless penetration tests and testing the security of your own wireless network.

It is important to note that the attacks presented in this chapter can be used to gain unauthorized access to wireless networks. You should never attempt these attacks without authorization from the owner of the wireless network. Accessing networks of any kind (wired or wireless) without authorization is a crime and can result in prosecution and possibly jail time. It should also be noted that unauthorized attacks are not WarDriving. In fact, WarDriving has nothing to do with attacking wireless networks. This is a distinction that many media outlets have misunderstood and has led to some of the misinformation about WarDriving.

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