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Security

Security is currently not applied on the network infrastructure level. Of course, all network nodes have appropriate security to secure the boxes themselves, but as an infrastructure provider, we have the rule of "security is the responsibility of the user". On the radio level we use a combination of narrow beams (directional antennas) to interconnect nodes together with Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) or even a WEP infrastructure with dynamic keying. As WEP provides no actual security [Borisov], the user of the infrastructure must be aware of the insecurity of the transported data, and use security on a higher level, for example by using IPsec tunnels over the existing infrastructure. Raising awareness of these problems and their solutions by the users is important. Right now the projects website addresses this in detail.

The nature of the transport layer adds an extra possibility of Denial of Service (DoS) attacks by ``jamming'' a connection on the radio level. This can happen when another device using the same frequency is operating in close vicinity of the node. Because we are operating concurrently with other users in the same frequency space this can be a problem. Adding redundant paths together with the appropriate routing protocols is the way to overcome the problem for the user.


next up previous
Next: Running a Network Node Up: Method Previous: Design rationale
Rudi van Drunen 2003-04-08