Page 262 - DCAP311_DCAP607_WIRELESS_NETWORKS

Wireless Networks

Notes 14.7 Summary

Building a strong user-authentication architecture requires focus beyond just improving the
credential-verification component.
The overall architecture might include additional aspects, such as a layered system that is driven
by risk-based analytics, which enables an adaptive authentication system.
Also, the design of an authentication approach should be weighed against various requirements,
such as data (that is, availability, confidentiality, integrity, accountability, and so on), identity
assurance, usability, compliance and auditing, portability/scalability, manageability, and user-
community dynamics.
More importantly, however, just the same as other security initiatives, strong user authentication
also requires a carefully planned, well-balanced, and concerted approach across the entire IT
architecture to ensure a consistently secure environment.

With the growing adoption of cloud-based services, consumer-identity metasystems, and mobile
devices, while attack methods gain maturity and sophistication, the future outlook for strong
user authentication is set for many innovative developments.

However, implementing strong user authentication often is not a straightforward task, as projects
have myriad options from which to choose, a multitude of trade-offs to consider, and a cluster of
intricacies to manage.
Defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) with the 802.3 standard,
Ethernet has provided an evolving, cooperative, scalable and interoperable networking standard.
Media Access Control (MAC) technology provides unique identification and access control for
computers on an Internet Protocol (IP) network.
Cryptography forms a fundamental part of message security.
Without public key cryptography, it is doubtful that there would be practical message security
solutions, due to the fact that key management before public key cryptography was cumbersome.
The purpose of 802.1x is to accept or reject users who want full access to a network using 802.1x.
Data security includes the mechanisms that control the access to and use of the database at the
object level.

14.8 Keywords

Address Resolution Protocol (ARP): ARP converts an Internet Protocol (IP) address to its
corresponding physical network address. ARP is a low-level network protocol, operating at
Layer 2 of the OSI model.
Authentication: Authentication is a process which a user gains the right to identify himself.
Cloud Computing: Cloud computing is a colloquial expression used to describe a variety of
different computing concepts that involve a large number of computers that are connected
through a real-time communication network (typically the Internet).
Cryptography: Cryptography is the study of protecting information through the use of codes and
ciphers.
Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP): [EAP is] an authentication framework which supports
multiple authentication methods. EAP typically runs directly over data link layers such as Point-
to-Point Protocol (PPP) or IEEE 802, without requiring IP.

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