Making the assumption that your guest wireless network is secure can be a dangerous gamble, considering the threats lurking in the shadows, waiting to infiltrate and attack your network. In reality, the potential dangers presented to your guest wireless grows steadily, as technology shifts towards a more mobile-orientated mindset.
Here are a few of the attacks your guest wireless network could fall prey to, if you’re not vigilant.
1. Insider attack
An insider attack is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. No one likes to think that employees and trusted company associates might be a threat to the network, but the reality is that a careless employee or contractor could easily cause an error that might compromise your guest network. Disgruntled staff members, or former employees that may have has network access can also pose a threat to the network. Whether malicious or unintentional, insider attacks are an unfortunate reality that needs to be guarded against.
2. Passive attack
Passive attacks occur when an attacker gains access to the network, then monitors and trawls for sensitive information that they can exploit in future attacks. Perpetrators may utilise decryption techniques on weakly encrypted information, traffic analysis and the inception of network operations to aid in their information gathering. Quite often they intend to progress to an active attack once they’ve gathered enough data.
3. Active attack
An active attack occurs when an intruder attempts to gain access to secured systems for their own ends, often through malware, such as a trojan horse or a virus. Malicious in nature, these attacks often result in stolen or ransomed information, malicious code introductions, and data modification.
4. Close-in attack
In a close-in attack, a perpetrator will try and attack your data, network components and systems after using close proximity to gain physical access and learn more about your network. Often this is achieved by social engineering, where the perpetrator using manipulative tactics to extract information from an individual through email, which is then used to aid them in their attack.
While the threats to your wireless network may seem overwhelming, staying informed and preparing yourself for the worst case scenario goes a long way towards securing your network, and peace of mind. With annual security reports made available by industry giants such as Cisco, there no reason to be caught unawares.
