PBE 3

PBE 3

1. 1) Identify vulnerabilities in wireless communication infrastructure

   • transmissions are broadcast, they are easily available to anyone who can listen to them
   • Most of the existing vulnerabilities in the wireless networks are caused by the medium.
   • cellular system vulnerability
   • WLAN vulnerability

2. 2) Explain threat analysis and countermeasure of the wireless communication

   • Threat analysis
     • Unstructured threats
     • Structured threats
     • External threats
     • Internal threats
   • Countermeasure
     • Protect Your Device with Passwords: Enable your device’s power-on login, system login authentication, and password-protected screen saver.
     • Disable Wireless Connection When It Is Not In Use: Wi-Fi, infrared, and Bluetooth devices are constantly announcing their presence if they are enabled.
     • Protect your device with anti-virus software using the latest virus definitions. This can minimize the risk of infection by computer viruses or spyware.
     • Don’t leave your wireless device unattended

3. 3) Describe threat vector scenarios in wireless communication infrastructure

   • Remote Access – A corporate device using an unsecured wireless hotspot can be compromised and passed on to the corporate network
   • User – Attackers often use social engineering and social networking to gather information and trick users into opening a pathway for an attack into a network.
   • Network – The perimeter of your network, usually protected by something like a firewall.
   • Email – Phishing attacks and malicious attachments target the email threat vector.
   • Web Application – SQL Injection and Cross-Site Scripting are just two of the many attacks that take advantage of an inadequately protected Web Application threat vector.
   • Mobile – Smart phones, tablets, and other mobile devices can be used as devices to pass malware and other attacks on to the corporate network. Additionally, mobile malware may be used to steal useful data from the mobile device

4. 4) Describe attack scenarios in wireless communication infrastructure

   • Drive-by downloads - This is a recent development in the mobile space, where accessing infected sites results in malicious apps being installed without user knowledge. Often, these sites are safe for regular browsers, but automatic download and installation of an application can be triggered while using smartphone browsers. Android provides controls to prevent automated downloads.
   • Jailbroken/rooted devices - Bypassing OS control gives unrestricted access to all aspects and features on the device. This is a double-edged sword. Users should be aware that the process of Jailbreaking, along with websites that offer this service provide easy conduits to plant malware on phones with sensitive data.
   • Operating system/device vulnerabilities - OS/device firmware vulnerabilities are often exploited by rogue developers while compromising devices. To avoid such threats, use updated antivirus packages and ensure that devices are updated with all relevant OS and firmware updates.