Wireless Client Authentication Flashcards
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)
- found to be weak and easily breakable
Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2)
- current 802.11i security standard
- provides support for IEEE 802.11n/ac, which WPA did not
WPA2 Personal Mode
1) uses WPA2-PSK (pre-shared key) authentication, a common key is statically configured on the client and the AP
2) Designed for environments where there is no RADIUS authentication server
3) Provides inadequate security for an enterprise wireless network; if attackers break the WPA2 PSK, then they can access all device data
4) Often authenticates devices, not users
WPA2 Enterprise Mode
1) Uses IEEE 802.1X and EAP authentication; each user or device is individually authenticated
2) Incorporates RADIUS authentication server for authentication and key management
3) Used by enterprise-class networks
WPA3
- improves upon its predecessor, WPA2, including stronger encryption, robust authentication methods, and protection against common security vulnerabilities.
- One of the significant enhancements in WPA3 is the introduction of a new authentication method called Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE), also known as Dragonfly. SAE replaces the pre-shared key (PSK) authentication used in WPA2
WebAuth
- authenticates a guest in a way that provides for security, but does not create undue support overhead
- Can be used for devices that cannot perform or pass 802.1X credentials
- Can be used as a backup means of authenticating employee devices that fail 802.1X authentication, but to which you still want to provide some level of access
PSK Authentication
- uses symmetric encryption, meaning the same algorithm and key that are used to encrypt the creds are used in reverse to decrypt the msg
SKA Process
- client uses open authentication, which operates at L1 & L2 only to show it’s 802.11 capable
1) Client sends an authentication request to the AP
2) AP sends a cleartext challenge phrase to to the client
3) Client encrypts the phrase with the shared key and sends it to the AP
4) If the AP can decrypt the phrase with the key, then the AP sends an authentication to the client.
5) Once authenticated, the client makes an association request
6) AP sends an association response
7) A virtual port is opened, and client data is now allowed
8) Data is encrypted using the same key
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
- service framework that is needed to support large-scale, public key-based technologies
- uses digital certificates
- Certificate Authorities (CAs) generate certificates for users (clients) and servers, which are used to validate user and server identities
- Clients request a user certificate from a CA and use the certificate to authenticate the server, using 802.1X authentication (e.g. EAP-TLS)
- Servers request a server certificate from the CA, which is used by the client to validate the authenticity of the server. A server can also use a self-signed certificate with which it acts as its own CA
- Cisco WLCs that are used as the authentication server use pre-installed server certificates or can request a server certificate from a CA
Asymmetric Encryption
1) User generates a public and private key, that work together - e.g. key1 will encrypt something that can be decrypted by key2 and vice versa
2) Server generates another pair of keys
3) Server sends its public key3 to user
4) User uses key3 to encrypt response to server and sends key1
5) Server will use key1 to encrypt when responding to user
Digital Signing
- With asymmetric encryption only, there’s no guarantee the src is who they say they are
- when user sends traffic to server, it’ll encrypt with its private key, and then again with the server’s public key. when the server receives it, it’ll be able to double decrypt it
Certificate Authority (CA)
- takes the public key that belongs to User1, adds text that contains their name, the validity duration, and a hash that contains a signed message that is encrypted with a private key that belongs to the authority
- a public key to which a trusted 3rd party has signed in this manner is called a certificate
- when receiving the public key that belongs to User1, the server tries to read the hash by using a public key of an installed well-known CA. if this is successful, then the public key truly belongs to User1
CA Certificate Retrieval
1) User1 and User2 request the CA certificate that contains the CA public key
2) Upon receipt of the CA cert, their systems verify the validity of the cert by using the public key cryptography
3) User1 & User2 contact the CA admin and verify the public key and serial number of the certificate
Certificate Enrollment
1) User1 & 2’s systems forward a certificate request, which includes their public key along with some identifying information. All this information is encrypted by using the public key of the CA
2) Upon receipt of the cert requests, the CA admin contacts User1 and User2 to confirm their submittal and the public key.
3) The CA admin issues the certificate by adding more data to the cert request, and digitally signing all of it
4) Either the end user manually retrieves the certificate, or Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP) automatically retrieves the cert, and the cert is installed onto the system
Authentication Using Certs
1) User1 and the server exchange certificates. The CA is no longer involved.
2) Each party verifies the digital signature on the cert by hashing the plaintext portion of the cert, decrypting the digital signature using the CA public key, and comparing the result. If matched, then the cert is verified confirming that User1 is User1 and the server is the server.
Extensible Authentication Procotol (EAP)
- general protocol for authentication that supports multiple methods such as token cards, Kerberos, one-time passwrods, certificates, public key authentication, and smart cards
- EAP with 802.1 address authentication, but not encryption
- EAP msgs are relayed btwn client and server; AP and controller don’t care
EAP Message Types
1) Request
2) Response
3) Success
4) Failure
EAP Types
- there are ~40 types of EAP, but some of the most common are:
1) EAP-TLS
2) Protected EAP (PEAP)
3) EAP-Flexible Authentication via Secure Tunneling (EAP-FAST)
4) EAP-Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), for Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)
5) EAP-Authentication and Key Agreement (AKA), for Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS)
WPA2 Enterprise EAP Types
1) EAP-TLS
2) PEAP
3) EAP-FAST
4) EAP-generic token card (GTC)
5) EAP-SIM
6) EAP-AKA
- others might be allowed, but aren’t supported
EAP Authentication Server
1) Locally by a Cisco WLC (local EAP) can use either the local creds, or LDAP to authenticate users. Can be used as a backup to RADIUS, so clients can auth even when the controller disconnects from RADIUS
2) Globally by a RADIUS server such as ISE, Microsoft server configured for RADIUS, or any RADIUS-compliant server