Task COMP 30022 (CW2) Advanced Networking Technologies (COMP 30022)-Fall-2017-CW
ID: 3874277 • Letter: T
Question
Task COMP 30022 (CW2) Advanced Networking Technologies (COMP 30022)-Fall-2017-CW2 Assignmenti-ap All WAN traffic pass through WAN gateways such as modems and routers. However, these gateway's facing hugelevel of attacks and threats where the administrator need to apply pevention and detection techniques. As network administrator analyze the following: a. Analyze two WAN gutes threats und uttacks b. Suggest two ountermeasures to prevent or detect the define threats in u c. Suppot your analysis by one research paper which cover one the threats and proposed (40 marks (40 marks solution. (10 marks)Explanation / Answer
1) Wireless networks are susceptible and exposed to attack because of its borderless nature. It is easy to penetrate any wired network via wireless network as Access Point (AP) is bridging between wireless and wired network.
Let's discuss some of the most common threats of Wireless Network Gateways:
1. A man-in-the-middle attacker entices computers to log into a computer which is set up as a soft AP (Access Point). Once this is done, the hacker connects to a real access point through another wireless card offering a steady flow of traffic through the transparent hacking computer to the real network. The hacker can then sniff the traffic. One type of man-in-the-middle attack relies on security faults in challenge and handshake protocols to execute a “de-authentication attack”. This attack forces AP connected computers to drop their connections and reconnect with the cracker’s soft AP. Man-in-the-middle attacks are enhanced by software such as LANjack and AirJack, which automate multiple steps of the process. What once required some skill can now be done by script kiddies. Hotspots are particularly vulnerable to any attack since there is little to no security on these networks.
How does MITM work?
Over the years, hackers found various ways to execute MITM attacks and believe it or not, it has become relatively cheap to buy a hacking tool online, just proving how easy hacking someone can be if you have enough money. Here are some common types of MITM attacks an organization.
Hackers use this tactic to target email accounts of large organizations, especially financial institutions and banks. Once they gain access to important email accounts, they will monitor the transactions to make their eventual attack a lot more convincing. For example, they can wait for a scenario where the customer will be sending money and respond, spoofing the company’s email address, with their own bank details instead of the company’s. This way, the customer thinks they’re sending their payment to the company, but they’re really sending it right to the hacker.
Most MITM attacks thrive on Wi-Fi connections. In one approach, hackers will set up a Wi-Fi connection with a legitimate-sounding name. All the hacker has to do is wait for you to connect and he’ll instantly have access to your device. Alternatively, the hacker can create a fake Wi-Fi node disguised as a legitimate Wi-Fi access point to steal the personal information of everyone who connects.
Once you log into a website, a connection between your computer and the website is established. Hackers can hijack your session with the website through numerous means. One popular option they use is stealing your browser cookies. In case you don’t know, cookies store small pieces of information that makes web browsing convenient for you. It can be your online activity, login credentials, pre-fill forms, and in some cases, your location. If they got hold of your login cookies, they can easily log into your accounts and assume your identity.
2. Denial of Service Attack:
A denial-of-service attack is a security event that occurs when an attacker takes action that prevents legitimate users from accessing targeted computer systems, devices or other network resources.
Denial-of-service (DoS) attacks typically flood servers, systems or networks with traffic in order to overwhelm the victim resources and make it difficult or impossible for legitimate users to use them. While an attack that crashes a server can often be dealt with successfully by simply rebooting the system, flooding attacks can be more difficult to recover from.
Some of the indications of a DoS attack are:
b) How to avoid or detect these threats?
1. Prevet MITM following the below steps:
Look For HTTPS
As a thumbrule, avoid visiting or exchanging information across any websites that do not have the security of HTTPS.
Upgrade System & Server Configurations
Always make sure we have latest version of our server and disable old security protocols versions like SSL 2.0, TLS 1.0. Configure server with proper authentication to secure from MITM attack for example, in Windows server 2008, there is a Network Level Authentication (NLA) that secures against MITM.
Avoid Free Public Wifi Hotspots
ALWAYS AVOID FREE WiFi HOTSPOTS. THEY ARE A TRAP. If there is no option but to use them, use a Virtual Private Network or a SSL plugin like ForceTLS or HTTPS Everywhere to safeguard your data privacy.
Ramp Up System Security
Malware and spyware get installed in a computer when your system is not adequately protected using an antivirus program. Be proactive in renewing your antivirus program and also on conducting regular scans for malware to ensure that no malware is transmitting data to attackers.
2. DoS attacks prevention
DoS attacks are very difficult to predetermine. However, one can reduce the prospect of being a part of such attack where one's computer can be used to attack another.
c) A research paper 'Distributed Denial of Service Attacks and Their Suggested Defense Remedial Approaches' by Darshan Lal Meena1 and Dr. R. S. Jadon beautifully describes about DoS attacks and their prevention.
Another paper 'Man-In-The-Middle-Attack Prevention Using HTTPS and SSL' by Tulika Shubh Shweta Sharma talks about Man in the Middle Attack and how HTTPS/SSL are used to prevent them.
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