Are any security mechanisms used in wireless LANs?
• Normal use. Wireless LAN access is restricted to small area, because of the limited range of radio. Most “attacks” are along the lines of your neighbor accidentally connecting to your network due to improper configuration. Directional antennas will allow the attacker to be further away than regular nodes, but only with line of sight. But this limits greatly the scope of the risk. Logistics. Because wireless LANs use digital transmissions, a would-be attacker cannot listen in with a regular radio scanner. The only practical way to attack a wireless LAN is to use another wireless card that is compatible with the LAN. An attacker who breaks in this way is likely to try to do two things: eavesdrop on your communications (for example, read an e-mail message you are sending) or access your resources (for example, your Internet connection). • Network identifiers. For most users, the network identifier (i.e., the SSID) is enough protection against casual users: other people can’t accidentall
