Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems - Essay Example One of the common wireless intrusion methods is known as ‘Wardriving’. Normally, this is done by using a Windows laptop running Wardriving software, for example NetStumbler, and equipped with an IEEE 802.11b adapter and external aerial. The ‘Wardriver’ moves near the wireless network area expecting to detect IEEE 802.11b signals that have spilled out onto the area around. NetStumbler search for beacon frames from the access points (APs) and processing these beacon frames, it is feasible to resolve the encryption strength, channel, and type of hardware used. The Wardriver may also get other details of the network such as the Service Set Identifier (SSID). Usually, this is done as a hobby and such hobbyists may combine the data with Global Positioning System (GPS) information to generate geographic maps of wireless networks in the area and their configurations. There are different software’s available for Wardriving, basing on the platform used. As a ma tter of fact, active software like NetStumbler, dStumbler, and MiniStumbler transmit probe request frames to extract responses from APs (Wright, 2002). This helps their probability of detecting APs. Another popular intrusion method is the Linux program AirSnort, most commonly used tool for WEP key extraction. Intruder by means of AirSnort would clandestinely gather wireless network traffic of the intended network. AirSnort can find out the WEP key of the network by processing the weak frames collected. There is also possibility of denial-of-service (DoS) attack on the network.