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Wireless Security Team

Highlight Box Summer Intern began May 28, 2007 Choose specific project within first two weeks.   Summer Intern End August 4, 2007 Give presentation on the studies concerning  choosen project.       An Analysis of Wireless Security in Columbia, MO Teach member: Matthew Chittum, Clayton Harper, John Mixon, Johnathan Walton Advisors: Dr. Haibin Lu and Dr. Wenjun Zeng The current state of wireless security in most areas can be estimated based on trends and collected data, but the complete picture is often unknown. Without collecting the information on most wireless access points in a given area, we cannot compare different areas based on their security, get an accurate view of the areas as a whole, or relate wireless security with other factors in a given region. We have performed a wireless security audit of Columbia, MO. Information was collected on thousands of access points throughout the city in hopes of understanding a large area's use of wireless networking and its possible security flaws. The flaws of WEP encryption allow a supposedly secure computer to be breached and then compromised. We have demonstrated how simple it is to bypass WEP encryption using easily accessible software available on the Internet. We have determined that although Columbia¹s overall level of security is better than the national average, it still leaves much room for improvement.   The project is supported by the National Science Foundation under the award CNS0649158.