Public wireless networks known as public hotspots have made connectivity easier and free for users in locations such as airports, libraries, and coffee shops. However, easy access creates a security concern of data leakage to malicious users which use the process of sniffing packets. This technique uses a software application to capture all data packets passing through a hotspot in a public domain that can contain financial statements, passwords, and personal information. The standard protocol used for wireless local area networks (WLAN) is IEEE 802.11 framework which can be split into two categories, security and delivery. The objective of this experiment is to evaluate the security effectiveness of the WLAN 802.11 framework and evaluate the type of information thieves can intercept. Understanding the process will allow users to take stronger precautions to protect vital information in public spaces.
The experiment analyzes 802.11 WLAN security level on HTTP servers using Riverbed simulations. The scenarios will consist of a network of users connected to an access point with one malicious user capturing the packets. The first scenario will consist of no security measures, the next will include the protocol for comparison. In addition, Wireshark will be used to demonstrate the packet data and the information that is leaked by websites.