Traffic characteristics mechanism for detecting rogue access point in local area network

Rogue Access Point (RAP) is a network vulnerability involving illicit usage of wireless access point in a network environment. The existence of RAP can be identified using network traffic inspection. The purpose of this thesis is to present a study on the use of local area network (LAN) traffic characterisation for typifying wired and wireless network traffic through examination of packet exchange between sender and receiver by using inbound packet capturing with time stamping to indicate the existence of a RAP. The research is based on the analysis of synchronisation response (SYN/ACK), close connection respond (FIN/ACK), push respond (PSH/ACK), and data send (PAYLOAD) of the provider’s flags which are paired with their respective receiver acknowledgment (ACK). The timestamp of each pair is grouped using the Equal Group technique, which produced group means. These means were then categorised into three zones to form zone means. Subsequently, the zone means were used to generate a global mean that served as a threshold value for identifying RAP. A network testbed was developed from which real network traffic was captured and analysed. A mechanism to typify wired and wireless LAN traffic using the analysis of the global mean used in the RAP detection process has been proposed. The research calculated RAP detection threshold value of 0.002 ms for the wired IEEE 802.3 LAN, while wireless IEEE 802.11g is 0.014 ms and IEEE 802.11n is 0.033 ms respectively. This study has contributed a new mechanism for detecting a RAP through traffic characterisation by examining packet communication in the LAN environment. The detection of RAP is crucial in the effort to reduce vulnerability and to ensure integrity of data exchange in LA

Diseño de una red de sensores para el sistema de detección de rogue APs en la red WiFi del campus PUCP

El trabajo desarrollado en la presente tesis consiste el diseño de una red de sensores para el sistema de detección de Rogue APs en la red WiFi del campus PUCP para las bandas de 2.4GHz y 5GHz. El primer capítulo presenta una descripción del marco problemático actual sobre la importancia de la seguridad en las redes inalámbricas. Luego, se señala la importancia del sistema de detección planteado al inicio de la tesis. Posteriormente, se definen los sistemas teóricos que permiten la detección y localización de los Rogue AP. Finalmente, se muestra el estado del arte de dispositivos que permiten la detección y métodos de mitigación de Rogue APs. En el segundo capítulo se exponen la problemática de la tesis y se plantea los requerimientos y razones por la cual se utiliza la teoría de NP-Complete para el diseño de la red. Luego, se discute sobre el problema general que representa el diseño de una red de sensores con triple cobertura posible. El tercer capítulo consiste en el diseño de modelos de optimización y heurísticas para la red de sensores. Primero, se expone el proceso con el cual se maneja la información para el desarrollo de los algoritmos. Segundo, se muestran la estructura de los modelos de programación y lógica del algoritmo con los cuales se puede diseñar una red de sensores para combatir la presencia de un Rogue AP. El cuarto capítulo comienza explicando el escenario y parámetros sobre los cuales se basaron los algoritmos generados para el diseño de la red de sensores. Luego, se muestran los resultados finales obtenidos y una discusión sobre el grado de cobertura obtenido. Por último, se presentan las conclusiones y recomendaciones a las que se llegó después de terminar la presente tesis.Tesi

Rogue access point detection and localization

The threat of rogue Access Points (APs) has attracted significant attentions from both industrial and academic researchers. However existing solutions focus on rogue AP detection, rather than localization. We propose a Rogue AP Detection and Localization (RAPDL) architecture, which integrates rogue AP detection and localization into one software system. A RAPDL demonstration system has been developed in our laboratory. In the RAPDL system, the monitors identify potential rogue APs, measure their properties and report relevant information to the server. The RAPDL server collects information from all monitors, and runs a localization algorithm to identify and locate the rogue APs. We implemented two localization algorithms in the RAPDL system based on received signal strength (RSS) and compare their performance. Experimental results acquired in an office environment show that RAPDL can detect and locate rogue APs quickly and accurately. © 2012 IEEE