Wireless networking is governed by protocols and configurations in much the same way that wired networks are. Wireless networks make use of radio spectrum frequencies to transmit data between the access point and the clients connected to. For our purposes, Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) have a great many similarities to standard Local Area Networks (LANs). The major focus of penetration testers is on identifying the target network and gaining access.
The overriding standard governing wireless networks is the IEEE 802.11 standard. This set of rules was first developed with ease of use and the ability to rapidly connect devices in mind. Concerns about security were not addressed in the initial standards that were published in 1997. Since then, the standards have had a number of amendments; the first of these with a significant impact on wireless networking was 802.11b. This was the most widely accepted standard, and was released in 1999. As the 802...