1. March 2001
Optional MAC-Level Security Enhancements for Home WLANs Carlos Rios LinCom Wireless
Carlos Rios, LinCom Wireless

2. TGeS to Date Good solution proposed for Enterprise Security:
March 2001
TGeS to Date
Good solution proposed for Enterprise Security:
Mutual Authentication
Replay Protection
Session Keys
Key Management
Strong Encryption
The solution for the Home still relies on WEP
Manually generate and distribute common WEP key
Pain to regenerate and redistribute new keys
Keys WILL be forgotten
Stations can eavesdrop on each other
Carlos Rios, LinCom Wireless

3. March 2001
An Idea
There is room for an optional MAC-level scheme that can readily provide
Mutual Authentication
Per Session Encryption Keys
Secure Encryption key generation and distribution
Support of WEP2 encryption
ON TOP of the presently proposed eS structure
Carlos Rios, LinCom Wireless

4. March 2001
That is not really new
Already have the 00/200 Intersil submission “Plug and Play Security in the Home and Small Business”
Use as an optional Authentication method in addition to Open and Shared Key
Simple Diffie-Helman multiple frame exchange
Simultaneous mutual authentication and session key generation
Use in concert with WEP2 encryption as now proposed
Carlos Rios, LinCom Wireless

5. March 2001
General Details
Stations have unique, factory assigned Private keys, use to generate corresponding Public Keys
AP and Station are configured for “Public Key Authentication”
On first contact, APs, Stations learn each other’s MAC Address and Public Key pairs
Authentication consists of performing a Diffie-Helman exchange to securely mutually prove IDs AND generate a shared session WEP2 key
Key expiration and regeneration, redistribution can be handled similarly, or, more easily, by doing so directly while WEP2 encrypted with the initial key.
Carlos Rios, LinCom Wireless

6. March 2001
Closing Remarks
An optional, previously presented MAC level scheme can add Home Wireless Network mutual authentication and session encryption key management to the eS proposal
Acknowledge that this is not an alternative to the Enterprise ESN proposal
Security provided is NOT strong enough for the Enterprise
It is certainly good enough for the home
This is TIMELY enough to not bog down the e standardization process
Carlos Rios, LinCom Wireless