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List Other Types Of Attacks

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3.5 Other Types of Attacks Since the inception of IEEE 802.11i in 2004, users and IT administrators have been able to improve the security of their wireless networks by taking advantage of protocols like CCMP, which is an algorithm designed to provide authentication and encryption. With CCMP, wireless networks can be secured with 128-bit AES encryption, provided by the Counter Mode component of CCMP. The CBC-MAC mode component is what provides the authentication mechanism. Although the security provided by 802.11i is a significant improvement to 802.11 networks, the security only applies to the data frames and does not provide any security over the management frames. In an 802.11 network, the data frame is what carries the protocols …show more content…

In a nutshell, the OSI model is divided into seven layers that are responsible for moving data up and down the stack; from the user, all the way down to the physical layer where the cables reside and then back up again. Each layer uses its own protocols and is responsible for carrying out its assigned function. These layers include the Application Layer (layer 7), Presentation Layer (layer 6), Session Layer (layer 5), Transport Layer (layer 4), Network Layer (layer 3), Data Link Layer (layer 2) and the Physical Layer (layer 1). See Figure 3-3 for illustration of OSI model. Although there are multiple layers in the OSI model an attacker can choose to exploit, the subsequent section will focus its attention on the Application Layer, since this layer is most often neglected when it comes to security. Additionally, it’s the most difficult layer to defend. 3.5.1 Application Layer Attacks As you can see from the image above (Figure 3-3), Layer 7 is the Application Layer; the place where data both originates and returns. This is also the layer where the user is directly interfacing with an application, such as a web page. An attack against this layer is generally intended to disrupt certain components of an application. Thus, Application Layer attacks are also referred to

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