Security of Wireless Networks AS11

Autumn semester 2011, course no. 252-1411-00, (4 ECTS)
Lectures: Tuesday, 13-15h, in ML H 41.1.
First lecture: 20.09.2011, Last lecture: 13.12.2011
Exercises: every second Friday, 13-15h, in CAB E 87.2 (enter via 88.1).
First exercise: 30.09.2011

Course responsible: Prof. Srdjan Capkun (capkuns@inf.ethz.ch)
Assistants on the course: Ghassan Karame, and Joel Reardon.
Email address: sown@lists.inf.ethz.ch

Course Announcements

- 19.09.2011: The website is online.
- 29.09.2011: The assignment of students to lab slots is now online.
- 10.10.2011: The lab instructions and information about the cantenna exercise are now online.
- 30.11.2011: Information, times/dates for the oral exam are now available.

Course description:

Core elements: Wireless communication channel, Wireless network architectures and protocols, Attacks on wireless networks, Protection techniques.

Course content: Wireless channel basics. Wireless electronic warfare: jamming and target tracking. Basic security protocols in cellular, WLAN and multi-hop networks. Recent advances in security of multi-hop networks; RFID privacy challenges and solutions.

Learning objectives: After this course, the students should be able to: describe and classify security goals and attacks in wireless networks; describe security architectures of the following wireless systems and networks: 802.11, GSM/UMTS, RFID, ad hoc/sensor networks; reason about security protocols for wireless network; implement mechanisms to secure 802.11 networks.

Evaluation:
Oral exam = 80% of the grade
20% exercises and related reports

Detailed content:

1. Wireless Electronic Warfare
   basics (wireless channel equations)
   jamming and antijamming
   low-probability of intercept signals (LPI)
   source localization techniques
   Related exercise: cantenna
2. Security of WiFi networks
   802.11 architecture and protocols
   (un)authorized access: MAC filtering, WEP, WPA, 802.1X, 802.11i
   Selfish behavior in WiFi networks
   Related exercises: WiFi security issues
3. Security of Cellular networks
   GSM and UMTS security architectures
   Attacks on GSM networks
4. Security in wireless multi-hop networks
   architectures and protocols
   naming and addressing
   key establishment/management
   secure distributed computing
   thwarting selfish behavior
5. Secure RFID systems
   readers and tags
   security issues: privacy, forgery, sabotage
   RFID security protocols
6. Special (research) topics
   wireless device pairing
   broadcast authentication
   secure localization and time synchronization
   ....

Course Material

Lecture 1: Introduction, Basic Security Notions, Wireless Communication Basics [PDF]

Lecture 2 [PDF], [Additional material]

Lecture 3 (check Lecture 2 slides)

Lecture 4 [PDF]

Lecture 5 [PDF]

Lecture 6 & 7 [PDF]

Lecture 8 [PDF]

Lecture 9 [PDF]

Lecture 10 [PDF] + WPA Attacks [PDF]

Lecture 11 [PDF]

Additional reading

• TBA

Lab Exercises

The lab manual can be downloaded from here.
You will have to enter your ETHZ username and password in order to be able to access it. Please note that the lab manual might be updated from time to time. So, keep on checking the website for updates!

The final assignment of students to lab slots can be found here.
If you cannot find your name on this schedule, please come to our lab on Friday the 30th of September between 13:00 and 17:00 and we will try to assign you to a lab slot.

The lab instructions are now online.

Information on the Cantenna exercise is available here and here.

Cantenna Presentations

The presentations for the cantenna exercise will be held during the last lecture of the semester (on the 13th of December 2011). Each group is expected to prepare and present a 5 min presentation (preferably using slides).

Oral Exams

The dates/times of the oral exam for each student can be found here.
The oral exam will be held at the specified times/dates in CNB F 102.2 and is expected to last approximately 20 minutes per student.