SSID Alias Security and Tracking for Wireless Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless networks are vulnerable to attacks where unauthorized users can impersonate connected devices, leading to eavesdropping, malware distribution, and deauthorization of connections, as existing systems lack effective mechanisms to securely manage Service Set Identifier (SSID) aliases.
Innovation Solution
Generating unique SSID aliases, hiding selected aliases from other users, registering MAC addresses with the SSID aliases, and propagating these to access points to prevent unauthorized connections, while also tracking user devices and deleting aliases after a predetermined time to manage network access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If SSID aliases are generated and propagated to access points, then network security is improved by preventing unauthorized access and impersonation, but device complexity increases due to the need to manage and track multiple SSID aliases across the network
Solution Approach 1:
A centralized controller is introduced as an intermediary between access points and user devices. The controller generates SSID aliases, manages the alias-to-MAC-address mappings, and coordinates propagation across the network. This centralization improves security through unified management while containing complexity within a single system rather than distributing it across all access points.
Solution Approach 2:
SSID aliases are generated and registered with their corresponding MAC addresses before being propagated to access points. The system performs preliminary registration and validation of alias-MAC pairs, ensuring security measures are in place before network deployment. This preliminary action prevents unauthorized impersonation from the outset.
2Reliability
If SSID aliases are hidden from other users after selection, then security is improved by preventing impersonation attacks, but information availability deteriorates as the selected alias becomes inaccessible to other users
Solution Approach 1:
The SSID alias visibility is made local rather than global. Each user device receives a unique SSID alias that is hidden from other users, creating localized access credentials. The alias is available to the specific user device that selected it but inaccessible to others, providing security through localized information distribution rather than universal availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The network access information is segmented into unique portions for each user device. Instead of all users sharing the same SSID alias, each device receives a segmented, device-specific alias. This segmentation ensures that information loss for one user does not affect others, as each user operates with their own isolated alias.
3Measurement precision
If MAC addresses are registered with SSID aliases, then user identification accuracy is improved for tracking and security purposes, but data management complexity increases due to maintaining registration records
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized controller acts as an intermediary that maintains the MAC address to SSID alias registration database. Rather than requiring each access point to manage these records independently, the controller consolidates data management, improving identification accuracy through centralized tracking while reducing overall system complexity through unified data handling.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes generating, by a computing device, SSID aliases; propagating, by the computing device, the SSID aliases to access points; receiving, by the computing device, data from an access point, the data including a selected SSID alias and a media access control (MAC) address of a user device; creating, by the computing device, a record containing the selected SSID alias and the MAC address of the user device; propagating, by the computing device, the selected SSID alias to remaining access points; and sending, by the computing device, a message to the access points to delete the selected SSID alias after a time period.