Identifying Trends in the Deployment and Security of 802.11b Wireless Technology, in Perth, W.A

Many organisations and individuals are installing wireless local area networks (WLANs), which are based on the IEEE 802.11b standard. Insecurely configured WLANs present a threat to the confidentiality, availability and integrity of network data. This study was designed to attempt to determine the growth rate in the use of WLAN technology and the security state of WLANs operating in the Central Business District (CBD) of Perth, Western Australia. The scope of the study was restricted to 802.11b WLANs operating in infrastructure mode, where all traffic is transmitted by wireless access points (APs). This study has been able to show that that the number of detectable WLAN devices in operation in the Perth CBD has grown significantly over the past 6 months. Additionally, the results of this study indicate that the overall security of detectable networks may have dropped slightly, and that a larger proportion of default installations may be being performed.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2003
• Where: AUSFORENSICS
• Authors: Sue Webb
• Keywords: AUSFORENSICS 2003, Detectable Wlan Devices, Forensic Engineering, IEEE 802.11b Standard, Wireless Local Area Networks