Speaker: Raul E. Hinojosa
Candidate for Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
Time: 3:10 PM
Place: Trustee Hall 215
Supervisor: Dr. James McGuffee
Title: Sniffing the Airwaves: An Investigation of Wireless Network Security

Abstract: Over the past few years there has been an increase in the number of wireless local area networks (WLANs). Reasons for this increase includes the lower cost compared to wired networks and because WLANs allow multiple users to simultaneously access the network while roaming within the network’s range. The major problem with wireless local area networks is the lack of a strong form of security. Information sent over a wireless network is transmitted over radio waves and therefore it can be delivered to both the intended party as well as anyone with a receiver that is in radio range. My project investigated the effectiveness of freely available packet sniffing software in intercepting and interpreting packets sent via wireless transmission. For my experiment, I intercepted packets sent via a wireless network for all of the five wireless zones at SEU, and then inspected the contents of the packets.