Research On Security Mechanism Of WLAN 802.11b/11i Protocols

Along with development of science and technology of computer technology and communication technology etc., portable equipment and wireless technology are enjoying fast development. Due to flexibility and convenience of wireless local area network that wired network cannot compare with, WLAN is widely applied to various fields including business, medical treatment education, and military etc. Though WLAN is bringing convenience to us, security problems are getting more series every day, which is getting people's attention.At present, WLAN based on IEEE802.11 series standards is being applied broadly, so that research on security mechanism of IEEE802.11b/11i has already become a hotspot of wirelss network security research.This paper, from the three aspects of encryption mechanism, and authentication mechanism, carries out research on and analysis of security mechanism of 802.11b/11i protocols. Importance is attached to research on identification authentication mechanism of 802.11i and authentication methods employed, and formalized analysis is conducted for security of EAP—TLS protocols. By analyzing defects of practicability and security of authentication method of 802.11i, a password based intensified authentication plan is brought forward in which the EAP—PAK protocol is brought out, with 802.1x protocols framework and EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) as foundation, and PAK (Password-Authenticated Key) protocol as core. This plan can satisfy security demands of WLAN authentication, with high practicability, and effectively intensifies authentication mechanism of 802.11i. Finally, an analysis of process of cryptographic key distribution in cryptographic key management of 802.11i protocols is conducted, and an improvement plan for fast distribution of cryptographic key is brought forward, with guaranteed security as precondition.