1 A VPN based approach to secure WLAN access John Floroiu

2 Goal Design and implementation of a protocol enabling mobile users visiting foreign WLAN domains to securely access network resources in Internet –Authenticating mobile users –Protecting the data traffic of the clients

3 Reason Various attacks (passive, active, man-in-the- middle) are easier to mount in a WLANs because potential attackers may be located on the same link Initial message exchange between visiting nodes and a foreign WLAN domain is unprotected

4 Reason Access Point Access Router Nomadic Nodes Campus Network

5 Possible approaches EAP-based protocols –Compound authentication methods aimed at securing legacy authentication protocols VPN-based methods –Provide an IPsec overlay to WLANs –More flexibility in negotiating cryptographic material (protocols, transforms, SPI)

6 Outline of the protocol High level requirements –Authenticate users in an inter-domain environment –Provide strong security mechanisms to support per-user encryption and cryptographic material to other potential applications/protocols (Mobile IP) –Exhibit robustness to DoS (resource depletion, reply attacks, computational DoS)

7 Outline of the protocol Sets up an IPsec tunnel over the wireless link Uses AAA for inter-domain authentication –Based on shared secrets, timestamps (similar to MIPv4) ISAKMP for key exchange –Phase 1 exchange piggybacked into the AAA authentication request/answer –Phase 2 takes place between the client and the access router

8 Future work Local mobility – a nomadic node moves between different access routers within the same administrative domain –Dynamic „update“ of the ends of an IPsec connection –Multihoming

9 Future work Access Point Access Router + Local Home Agent Nomadic Node Campus Network Access Point Access Router + Local Home Agent

10 Open issues Authentication of management messages (beacon, association/re-association/disassociation request/reply)

11 Thank you!