NETGEAR WPN824 Router Manual PDF (Setup & Configuration Guide)

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Reference Manual for the RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824

D-16

Wireless Networking Basics

202-10072-01, March 2005

Is WPA/WPA2 Perfect?

WPA/WPA2 is not without its vulnerabilities. Specifically, it is susceptible to denial of service

(DoS) attacks. If the access point receives two data packets that fail the message integrity code

(MIC) within 60 seconds of each other, then the network is under an active attack, and as a result,

the access point employs counter measures, which include disassociating each station using the

access point. This prevents an attacker from gleaning information about the encryption key and

alerts administrators, but it also causes users to lose network connectivity for 60 seconds. More

than anything else, this may just prove that no single security tactic is completely invulnerable.

WPA/WPA2 is a definite step forward in WLAN security over WEP and has to be thought of as a

single part of an end-to-end network security strategy.

Product Support for WPA/WPA2

Starting in August, 2003, NETGEAR, Inc. wireless Wi-Fi certified products will support the WPA

standard. NETGEAR, Inc. wireless products that had their Wi-Fi certification approved before

August, 2003 will have one year to add WPA so as to maintain their Wi-Fi certification.

WPA/WPA2 requires software changes to the following:

•

Wireless access points

•

Wireless network adapters

•

Wireless client programs

Supporting a Mixture of WPA, WPA2, and WEP

Wireless Clients is Discouraged

To support the gradual transition of WEP-based wireless networks to WPA/WPA2, a wireless AP

can support both WEP and WPA/WPA2 clients at the same time. During the association, the

wireless AP determines which clients use WEP and which clients use WPA/WPA2. The

disadvantage to supporting a mixture of WEP and WPA/WPA2 clients is that the global encryption

key is not dynamic. This is because WEP-based clients cannot support it. All other benefits to the

WPA clients, such as integrity, are maintained.

However, a mixed mode supporting WPA/WPA2 and non-WPA/WPA2 clients would offer

network security that is no better than that obtained with a non-WPA/WPA2 network, and thus this

mode of operation is discouraged.

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Reference Manual for the RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824

Wireless Networking Basics

D-17

202-10072-01, March 2005

Changes to Wireless Access Points

Wireless access points must have their firmware updated to support the following:

•

The new WPA/WPA2 information element

To advertise their support of WPA/WPA2, wireless APs send the beacon frame with a new

802.11 WPA/WPA2 information element that contains the wireless AP's security configuration

(encryption algorithms and wireless security configuration information).

•

The WPA/WPA2 two-phase authentication

Open system, then 802.1x (EAP with RADIUS or preshared key).

•

TKIP

•

Michael

•

AES

(WPA2)

To upgrade your wireless access points to support WPA/WPA2, obtain a WPA/WPA2 firmware

update from your wireless AP vendor and upload it to your wireless AP.

Changes to Wireless Network Adapters

Wireless networking software in the adapter, and possibly in the OS or client application, must be

updated to support the following:

•

The new WPA/WPA2 information element

Wireless clients must be able to process the WPA/WPA2 information element and respond

with a specific security configuration.

•

The WPA/WPA2 two-phase authentication

Open system, then 802.1x supplicant (EAP or preshared key).

•

TKIP

•

Michael

•

AES

(WPA2)

To upgrade your wireless network adapters to support WPA/WPA2, obtain a WPA/WPA2 update

from your wireless network adapter vendor and update the wireless network adapter driver.

For Windows wireless clients, you must obtain an updated network adapter driver that supports

WPA. For wireless network adapter drivers that are compatible with Windows XP (Service Pack 1)

and Windows Server 2003, the updated network adapter driver must be able to pass the adapter's

WPA capabilities and security configuration to the Wireless Zero Configuration service.

Page 158 / 174

Reference Manual for the RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824

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Wireless Networking Basics

202-10072-01, March 2005

Microsoft has worked with many wireless vendors to embed the WPA driver update in the wireless

adapter driver. So, to update your Microsoft Windows wireless client, all you have to do is obtain

the new WPA/WPA2-compatible driver and install the driver.

Changes to Wireless Client Programs

Wireless client programs must be updated to permit the configuration of WPA/WPA2

authentication (and preshared key) and the new WPA/WPA2 encryption algorithms (TKIP and

AES).

To obtain the Microsoft WPA client program, visit the Microsoft Web site.

Note

: The Microsoft WPA2 client is still in beta.

Page 159 / 174

Reference Manual for the RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824

Glossary

202-10072-01, March 2005

Glossary

Use the list below to find definitions for technical terms used in this manual.

802.11 Standard

802.11, or IEEE 802.11, is a type of radio technology used for wireless local area networks (WLANs). It is a

standard that has been developed by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers),

http://standards.ieee.org

. The IEEE is an international organization that develops standards for hundreds of

electronic and electrical technologies. The organization uses a series of numbers, like the Dewey Decimal

system in libraries, to differentiate between the various technology families.

The 802 subgroup (of the IEEE) develops standards for local and wide area networks with the 802.11 section

reviewing and creating standards for wireless local area networks.

Wi-Fi , 802.11, is composed of several standards operating in different radio frequencies: 802.11b is a

standard for wireless LANs operating in the 2.4 GHz spectrum with a bandwidth of 11 Mbps; 802.11a is a

different standard for wireless LANs, and pertains to systems operating in the 5 GHz frequency range with a

bandwidth of 54 Mbps. Another standard, 802.11g, is for WLANS operating in the 2.4 GHz frequency but

with a bandwidth of 54 Mbps.

802.11a Standard

An IEEE specification for wireless networking that operates in the 5 GHz frequency range (5.15 GHz to

5.85 GHz) with a maximum 54 Mbps data transfer rate. The 5 GHz frequency band is not as crowded as the

2.4 GHz frequency, because the 802.11a specification offers more radio channels than the 802.11b. These

additional channels can help avoid radio and microwave interference.

802.11b Standard

International standard for wireless networking that operates in the 2.4 GHz frequency range (2.4 GHz to

2.4835 GHz) and provides a throughput of up to 11 Mbps. This is a very commonly used frequency.

Microwave ovens, cordless phones, medical and scientific equipment, as well as Bluetooth devices, all work

within the 2.4 GHz frequency band.

802.11d Standard

802.11d is an IEEE standard supplementary to the Media Access Control (MAC) layer in 802.11 to promote

worldwide use of 802.11 WLANs. It will allow access points to communicate information on the

permissible radio channels with acceptable power levels for client devices. The devices will automatically

adjust based on geographic requirements.

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Reference Manual for the RangeMax Wireless Router WPN824

Glossary

202-10072-01, March 2005

The purpose of 11d is to add features and restrictions to allow WLANs to operate within the rules of these

countries. Equipment manufacturers do not want to produce a wide variety of country-specific products and

users that travel do not want a bag full of country-specific WLAN PC cards. The outcome will be

country-specific firmware solutions.

802.11e Standard

802.11e is a proposed IEEE standard to define quality of service (QoS) mechanisms for wireless gear that

gives support to bandwidth-sensitive applications such as voice and video.

802.11g Standard

Similar to 802.11b, this physical layer standard provides a throughput of up to 54 Mbps. It also operates in

the 2.4 GHz frequency band but uses a different radio technology in order to boost overall bandwidth.

802.11i

This is the name of the IEEE Task Group dedicated to standardizing WLAN security. The 802.11i Security

has a frame work based on RSN (Robust Security Mechanism). RSN consists of two parts: 1) The Data

Privacy Mechanism and 2) Security Association Management.

The Data Privacy Mechanism supports two proposed schemes: TKIP and AES. TKIP (Temporal Key

Integrity) is a short-term solution that defines software patches to WEP to provide a minimally adequate

level of data privacy. AES or AES-OCB (Advanced Encryption Standard and Offset Codebook) is a robust

data privacy scheme and is a longer-term solution.

Security Association Management is addressed by a) RSN Negotiation Procedures, b) IEEE 802.1x

Authentication and c) IEEE 802.1x Key management.

The standards are being defined to naturally co-exist with pre-RSN networks that are currently deployed.

802.11n Standard

A recently formed (Oct 2003) IEEE official task group referred to as: 802.11n or "TGn" for the 100 Mbps

wireless physical layer standard protocol. Current published ratification date is December 2005. As of

February 2004, no draft specification has been written - It is expected to use both the 2.4 and 5GHz

frequencies.

AES (Advanced Encryption Standard)

A symmetric 128-bit block data encryption technique developed by Belgian cryptographers Joan Daemen

and Vincent Rijmen. The U.S government adopted the algorithm as its encryption technique in October

2000, replacing the DES encryption it used. AES works at multiple network layers simultaneously. The

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the U.S. Department of Commerce selected the

algorithm, called Rijndael (pronounced Rhine Dahl or Rain Doll), out of a group of five algorithms under

consideration, including one called MARS from a large research team at IBM. AES is expected to replace

WEP as a WLAN encryption method in 2003.

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