An Overview of 802.11 Wireless Network Security Standards and Mechanisms

The 802.11 wireless networks is one of the most attractive and fast growing networks. Because of its easy and fast deployment and installation, there are more and more users considering using this type of network than the wired version. In this document, you will find out how to secure an 802.11 wireless network by understanding its security protocols and mechanism. We will describe security protocols such as WEP, WPA and 802.11i, and mechanisms such as MAC access control list; their vulnerabilities and tools available to exploit these vulnerabilities. Knowing how these mechanism and protocols works, including its weakness and vulnerabilities can be very helpful for planning, designing, implementing and/or hardening a much secure wireless network, effectively minimizing the impact of a attack.