Research Symposium

BIO

My name is Lydia Fertil and I am currently a second year student majoring in International Affairs and Cyber Criminology. I have always been intrigued by current events and how the world operates. I am interested in conducting research because it is an effective means to understanding the world around us. Specifically, I was interested in studying wireless networks because I was not familiar with them and wanted a better understanding. Due to this process, I can confidently say that I learned a great deal and will continue to pursue research opportunities. Technology has become an essential part of human beings lives; As technology advances and changes so will our way of life. In the future I hope to conduct research related to cyber security and international crimes. Currently I am interested in women and their roles as in relates to international crimes.

Invisible Danger: To Understand the Security Posture of Wireless Networks Around Us

Abstract

Wireless networks have become an important aspect of cyber infrastructure that impacts everyone’s life in today’s society. Unfortunately, bad actors can set up rouge access points to steal online users’ data. This is known as the Evil Twin attack. An Evil Twin attack is when an attacker acquires the credentials of a legitimate access point to gain entry to a user’s sensitive information by impersonating a legitimate access point. The focus of the research is to conduct wireless network forensics and to learn the behavioral differences among access points to identify rogue access points. Wireshark was used to capture traffic data with the aim of discovering network anomalies. Data was captured and compared between on campus and off campus traffic. Gephi was used to visualize the network traffic data. The findings demonstrate the dynamics of the network traffic, and the possibilities of identifying questionable access points. Wireless traffic and data traveling in the air are invisible; this invisible danger is not observable by physical sight. With the use of technologies and tools, we are capable of gaining cyber situational awareness and better understanding the wireless environment.

Keywords: Cyber Security, Evil Twin, Wireless Networks