Análise dos principais tipos de ataques em redes sem fio IEEE 802.11N

Abstract

Wireless networks represent a significant evolution in the field of communications, offering connectivity without the need for cables and allowing devices to communicate via radio frequency. The continuous evolution of these networks and their widespread adoption makes them essential in a variety of contexts, driving the search for security and efficiency in data transmission, making them a fundamental part of the modern communications infrastructure. However, security in wireless networks is a growing concern due to their widespread adoption and the inherently vulnerable nature of these infrastructures. The advent of these networks has brought with it a number of advantages in terms of performance and range, but has also introduced new security challenges. This study aims to analyze the main types of attacks on wireless networks, with a focus on the IEEE 802.11n standard, in order to identify security-related weaknesses and propose countermeasures for the attacks addressed. During the tests, attacks were carried out using eavesdropping, deauthentication, handshake capture, brute force, among others, using tools such as AirCrack-ng, Hping3, Nmap, Hashcat and others to exploit vulnerabilities in wireless IEEE 802.11n networks. The experiments showed that attacks can have a significant impact on wireless networks. The SYN flood attack caused service unavailability at the access point. The deauthentication attack was effective on networks with WPA and WPA2 protocols. The AssRF attack resulted in a denial of service by excessively consuming the access point’s memory, while the AuthRF attack increased CPU consumption, impairing the access point’s performance. The eavesdropping attack proved to be effective in capturing handshakes in the WPA and WPA2 protocols. Finally, password cracking was effective against weak passwords, highlighting the importance of robust password policies to resist this type of attack.