Essential Security Services for Wi-Fi: A Cryptographic Analysis

Introduction
Wi-Fi networks provide wireless connectivity, but they lack the physical security of wired connections. This makes cryptographic security essential for protecting data and ensuring safe connections. Here’s a breakdown of the main security services required to secure Wi-Fi networks and how they work together to keep wireless data safe.

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1. Confidentiality: Protecting Data Privacy

Confidentiality ensures that only authorized users can view data sent over Wi-Fi. Without wires, it’s easy for attackers to intercept data, so encryption is necessary to keep information private.

• Why it’s needed: Prevents eavesdropping on data by unauthorized users.
• How it’s achieved: Encryption protocols like WPA3 provide data privacy in Wi-Fi networks.

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2. Data Integrity: Ensuring Unaltered Information

Data integrity prevents unauthorized modifications to data in transit. Wireless connections are more vulnerable to interference, so it’s crucial to confirm that data arrives unaltered.

• Why it’s needed: Ensures that the data sent over Wi-Fi is not tampered with.
• How it’s achieved: Hash functions and message authentication codes (MACs) verify data consistency.

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3. Data Origin Authentication: Verifying Data Sources

Data origin authentication confirms that data is coming from a trusted source within the Wi-Fi network. This added level of integrity helps prevent unauthorized devices from accessing or modifying data.

• Why it’s needed: Ensures that data originates from verified devices within the network.
• How it’s achieved: Cryptographic signatures verify the source of Wi-Fi data.

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4. Entity Authentication: Identifying Authorized Users and Devices

Entity authentication verifies the identity of devices and users connecting to the Wi-Fi network. Both the device and the router authenticate each other to establish trust.

• Why it’s needed: Prevents unauthorized access to the Wi-Fi network.
• How it’s achieved: WPA3 uses mutual authentication, where both devices and routers validate each other.

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5. Non-Repudiation: Not Required for Wi-Fi

Non-repudiation, which prevents a sender from denying a transmission, is unnecessary at the Wi-Fi level. Any non-repudiation requirements, such as for digital signatures in contracts, are usually handled at the application layer, not by the Wi-Fi itself.

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Conclusion
Wi-Fi security relies on confidentiality, data integrity, data origin authentication, and entity authentication to secure wireless connections. By using these cryptographic services, Wi-Fi networks protect data from interception, tampering, and unauthorized access, providing a safer wireless experience.