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Securing against Rogue Ad Hoc APs

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3 replies

by bayliss_peter

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I manage an open wireless network for our computer club. We have about 10 PCs and 3 mornings a week we get about 40 laptop users in to use the network. The problem is that recently all users have been losing their wireless connections which seems to coincide with the appearance of an Ad hoc SSID which keeps changing its MAC address and has a very strong signal. We have tried ensuring that all users are set up for infrastructure only. From the signal strength the AP(s) must be quite close but I dont know if there is some malware that has spread to one or more PCs or if it is a user outside the building. Can anyone advise the best course of action?

3 replies

by trrrr

Secure your network and allow your users access with a password. See what channel the ad-hoc is using and use one of the opposite 2 channels.

by bayliss_peter

Thanks for your response. I have already moved channels but I still had the problem when the ad hoc was on 11 and the main network on 3. I am not sure if i understand how ad hoc works, but if i give the WPA key to a user with some sort of malware on his PC surely it will not stop that PC broadcasting Ad hoc?

by cg it

Whether someone dislikes your "club" or just generally want to see how much you know, a rogue AP with a really strong signal that knocks you off the network is similar to someone jamming. the only feasible way to prevent signal jamming for wireless network is to boost your signal over his. In essence jam him.

This probably will result in a pissing contest and unless you have a frequency hopper and everyone else that uses the network also hops to the same frequency up and down the 2.4 ghz range, there's not much you can do.

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