As organizations rely more and more on wireless networks, the security threats will continue to evolve, putting sensitive data at risk. Today, one of the most neglected cyberthreats is that of the rogue access point.
These unauthorized devices are the favorite attack used by cybercriminals to infiltrate networks, steal critical data, and disrupt operations. This article explains what rogue access points are, the dangers they pose, and how organizations can detect and protect themselves from such malicious devices.
What is a rogue access point (AP)?
A rogue access point, or rogue AP, is an unauthorized wireless device installed on a network without the consent of a network administrator. These may be set up by malicious actors or even unwitting employees using personal routers. The problem is that these rogue APs bypass your organization’s security controls, opening the door to possible data breaches.
Rogue APs may be connected physically or wirelessly to a network. Once installed, it acts as a backdoor for cybercriminals to gain access to critical company data, compromise devices, or inject malware.
Dangers of rogue access points
Serving as a beachhead, rogue access points can expose your network to every kind of cyber threat imaginable, which can then dramatically drive costs to your bottom line, operations, or even brand reputation if left unchecked.
Here’s a deeper dive into the various dangers posed by rogue access points:
1. Data interception and theft
A rogue access point attack allows cybercriminals to intercept unencrypted data traversing the network. Once the clients are connected via the rogue AP, all data gets captured, including sensitive data of login credentials to personal identification numbers (PIN) and confidential documents using packet sniffing tools. It exponentially raises the risk of data leaks if the correct security has not been applied to the access point.
For instance, an attacker can place a rogue AP in the vicinity of an office of an organization and program it to emulate the legitimate network of the organization. Those employees who innocently connect to it may expose the sensitive data of the company inadvertently.
2. Man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks
Rogue access points create an easy avenue for the attacker to perform man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks. In such an attack, communication between two parties—for instance, a user and a company’s server—is intercepted without either of those parties knowing.
This could possibly enable attackers to hijack sessions, inject malware, steal credentials, or even gain unauthorized access to company systems.
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3. Network downtime and disruption
The effects of rogue access points can bring your network to its knees. In an attempt to bog the network with unauthorized traffic, an attacker can slow down the network, cause an outage, or even create a complete denial-of-service (DoS).
This negatively impacts productivity and customer interactions, besides causing financial loss that can be significant, especially for organizations reliant upon connectivity in real time.
4. Propagation of malware
Once access to the network has been gained, attackers can deploy malware to devices connected to the rogue access point. This could lead to the spread of ransomware, spyware, or worms throughout an organization. Infected systems would then provide a conduit to exfiltrate data, disrupt services, or demand a ransom payment from an organization.
Just one rogue AP can lead to large numbers of malware infections, along with their consequent costly remediation efforts and possible regulatory fines, should customer data be accessed.
5. Breaching network security perimeters
Organizations often have several layers of security to protect their networks. However, using a rogue access point adds a backdoor into the internal network. Just because an organization has firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and endpoint protection may not help in stopping a rogue AP from undermining all these components and providing access to attackers carte blanche.
6. Compromising IoT and smart devices
IoT devices are more vulnerable to rogue access points because most of them lack the security mechanisms of traditional IT. Weakly-secured IoT devices—such as smart cameras, sensors, and HVAC systems—can be used by attackers to go deeper into your network.
Once inside, attackers can manipulate IoT devices to disrupt critical services, spy on operations, or even cause physical damage.
7. Regulatory and compliance violations
In industries bound by strict regulations that demand data privacy—such as healthcare under HIPAA, finance under the GLBA, or general data protection as stated in the GDPR—rogue access points pose a serious threat to organizations in the form of compliance breaches.
Such unauthorized access to sensitive data could lead to heavy fines and legal consequences, not to mention loss of reputation for your company. Should regulators find that a data breach happened because of some rogue AP, an organization will run the risk of getting fined and damaged in the eyes of its clients and partners.
8. Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs)
A rogue access point may also serve as a conduit toward more sophisticated attacks, such as APTs. Here, the attackers would establish a long-term presence on your network to steal data over time. It is possible for this not to be detected for months or even years, since the attackers can siphon out sensitive information bit by bit.
The consequences of APTs are the theft of intellectual property, competitive disadvantage, and sometimes substantial financial losses as a result of long-term espionage.
Rogue access point vs evil twin
The terms “rogue access point” and “evil twin” are often used interchangeably, but they refer to distinct threats:
- Rogue access point: A device installed on the insider part of the network without permission. Rogue APs are fitted by intruders or unauthorized users to build a back door.
- Evil twin: An evil twin is a malicious access point that masquerades as any other legitimate Wi-Fi network. The attacker’s fraudulent AP has the same SSID (network name) and often similar security settings to deceive users and devices into connecting.
How to detect rogue access points
The following are various techniques, tools, and strategies that can be utilized by organizations for effective rogue access point detection:
Wireless intrusion detection systems (WIDS)
Wireless intrusion detection systems (WIDS) monitor wireless network traffic, looking for devices and events that can’t be identified. WIDS will let network administrators take immediate action because it warns them against the presence of any unauthorized AP.
WIDS continuously probes the airwaves for APs that do not match the organization’s authorized access point list. These would alert in case of detection of an unknown SSID or MAC address.
Network scanning tools
Network scanning tools like Nmap can be used to scan wired or wireless networks to detect unauthorized devices on the network. Not only can such scanning tools detect unusual devices connected to the network, they also assist in finding the location of a rogue AP set up surreptitiously.
Network scanning tools are capable of detecting devices by IP and MAC addresses, as well as by device fingerprinting.
MAC address filtering
Every device on the network has a unique Media Access Control (MAC) address. By enabling MAC address filtering, you will be able to restrict network access only to approved devices. You can flag any unknown MAC addresses that attempt to connect to the network for further investigation.
Endpoint protection
With modern endpoint protection solutions, devices connected to your network can be monitored and scanned for suspicious access points. Using such technology will detect when a device is connected using an unauthorized Wi-Fi network to indicate that a rogue access point is in use.
The endpoint protection software can detect when the device switches to a network that is not within the list of organization-approved SSIDs. This is a security protocol developed on the device level that monitors network connections.
Best practices to prevent rogue AP attacks
Preventing rogue access points requires a proactive approach. The following are some of the best practices:
- Implement stringent network security policies: Educate your employees on the risks of connecting unauthorized devices to a network. Define strict rules for personal routers and access points.
- Encrypt the wireless network: Ensure that all access points are secured using the latest encryption methods, such as WPA3. This makes the interception of data very difficult, even in cases where a rogue AP is established.
- Use VLANs for network segmentation: If you divide your network into several VLANs, in case of a rogue access point attack, you minimize the scope of intrusion. That is, a breach of one segment will not necessarily permit access to the whole network.
- Perform regular network audits: Regularly audit your network to check for unauthorized access points. This could be a mix of automated scans and manual checks.
- Invest in wireless intrusion prevention systems (WIDS): WIDS can automatically locate and disable rogue access points in real time.
How to protect against rogue access points on Wi-Fi
- Disable SSID broadcasting: This makes the network less visible, as this will not allow the name to broadcast, hence making it difficult for attackers to find.
- Implement strong authentication: Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) to protect access to your wireless network. This prevents unauthorized users from even connecting to your wireless network if they happen to find the name of your SSID.
- Regularly update firmware: Keep all wireless devices updated with the latest firmware for any identified vulnerabilities to date, which attackers can use.
- Monitor the network traffic continuously: With automated network monitoring, it is much easier to spot a rogue access point based on unusual activities.
- Implement physical security controls: Limit physical access to network hardware to prevent an attacker from directly connecting rogue access points to your systems.
Conclusion
Rogue access points are a serious threat to network security that lead to data breaches, malware infections, and unauthorized access. Identification of risks, early detection of rogue APs, and preventive measures taken will be of special importance in securing an organization’s wireless network.
Staying alert and implementing proper tools will definitely protect your business from rogue access point attacks, providing a safe and secure environment for wireless access.
