Risk assessment for CyberTrans Ltd's wireless LAN infrastructure upgrade

Wireless Clients

Offsite secure hosting services

Fiber Optic connectivity

Risk Assessment

The Assessment of the Wireless LAN infrastructure

VoIP risk assessment

This report discusses the risk and specifications for a logistics company, CyberTrans Ltd. The company offers next day delivery services in the entire U.K region for packages weighing up to 50 kg. They also offer a 3-day shipping service for consignments weighing over 50kg. The firm operates a fleet of vehicles that include small vans and larger ones capable of carrying 30-tonnes. The vehicles are appropriately fitted GPRS tracking devices that allow the management to know the location of their vehicles with pin point accuracy. The vehicle tracking system is hosted on a leased server that is located off site. The system has 24-hour maintenance regime. This repot therefore provides a detailed specification as well as a risk management assessment for the company. This is due to the pending relocation as well as system upgrade issues. The company's technology base is to be relocated within a 2-year period and the system is to be upgraded to a wireless as well as a VoIP based one so as to make the relocation exercise cost efficient. Cutting edge connectivity technologies such as fiber optic is to be used in the system. In order to save costs, the satellite tracking system is to be outsourced but due to security issue be under both the ownership as well as control of the CyberTrans Ltd. The report includes an elaborate risk assessment section with appropriate recommendations being provided at the end.

Introduction

The technologies to be applied in the system upgrade

Wireless LAN (WLAN)

This is a type of a Local Area Network (LAN) that makes use of radio frequency (RF) in order to facilitate communication between network devices without the need of wires. The Wireless LAN (WLAN) technology has the following components:

Wireless clients

In this case, the wireless clients would be the devices that connect to the wireless access point so as to access network services that are based on the WLAN and the internet.

Figure 1: An integrated wired and wireless network access (Belkin, 2002).

According to Teare and Paquet (2005), the merits of using a WLAN are numerous. They include the facts that it increases network productivity, increased flexibility and is cost-effective as compared to the otherwise wired systems. WLAN increases data acquisition flexibility (Agilent technologies, 2009) as well as the flexibility of other services such as printing. The fact that the company has little time and a resource to relocate makes an implementation of a wireless LAN technology a viable option.

Enhanced productivity and mobility

Wireless LAN has been shown to lead to an overall increase in the productivity of a work environment. Mobility is also increased (Cisco,2007). The increase mobility and productivity is of great importance to Cybertrans Ltd.

Low Cost of deployment

Teare and Paquet (2005) pointed out the low cost of deployment as an advantage to be derived from the implementation of a WLAN infrastructure. This they attribute to the relatively low total cost of ownership (TCO).

The components of a wireless LAN

A Wireless LAN framework is noted to be made up of the following components; Wireless access point and wireless clients

The wireless access points (WAP).

The wireless access points (WAPs) are employed in the provision of network connectivity to all the wireless clients to be used within the Cybertrans Ltd. organization. These include desktops, laptop, printers, and handheld devices such as PDAs as well as VoIP IP phones. The fact that Cybertrans Ltd. is involved in several activities means that they should implement an otherwise integrated wireless access point. This can be implemented via the Cisco HWIC-AP WLAN Module for Cisco 1800 (Modular) router. The router has the capability of concurrent routing and switching while providing a wireless LAN framework (Cisco,2011). Since CyberTrans Ltd. needs to implement VoIP telephony, it is necessary for the Cisco router to be used.

Offsite secure hosting services

Cybertrans Ltd. should invest in a secure offsite hosting system to enable it to host its asset tracking system. The hosting server must be secured and highly reliable so as to ensure that the information system is confidential, available and having high level of integrity. For hosting the company can use IBM System x3200 M3 (IBM, n.d) since it supports distributed office applications. The vehicle tracking server to be used is Tecnoton's, ORF Corporate edition (Tecnoton, n.d).

Fiber Optic connectivity

The fiber optic technology is to be used in connecting certain parts of the Wide Area Network (WAN). The fiber connectivity is to connect the offsite offices housing the vehicle tracking servers, financial operations office and the customer liaison offices. The connection is to be provided using a broadband service from Orange Business service. This service is to used in providing fact internet and intranet connectivity between the various Cybertrans Ltd. offsite offices and its main office.

Risk Assessment

The Business Dictionary (n.d) is defined as the process of identifying, evaluating and estimating the levels of risks that are involved in a given situation as well as the comparison of these risks against certain standard and benchmarks in an effort of determining the acceptable risk level. A risk assessment report outlines the vulnerabilities as well as provides an estimation of the cost of recovery in a worst-case scenario. The report is also to provide a summary of the remedial and defensive actions that an organization is to undertake. The risk level that an organization is willing to accept is referred to as risk tolerance.

The Assessment of the Wireless LAN infrastructure

The wireless technology is adopted as result of its support for operational mobility, flexibility of its implementation as well as its scalability. The wireless technology operates within a frequency spectrum that is allocated for the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) frequency band as pointed out by Bruce (2000).

The technologies employed in WLAN transmission

Narrowband Microwave

This technology makes use of microwaves in the transmission. ISM bands are used in this category.

Spread spectrum WLANs

In this category broadband transmission technology is used. The Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band are employed.

Infrared LANS

This transmission technology is employed in a case where the need for long-range is not needed. There is no need of licensing in this case

Infrared transmission

There are three main types of infrared transmission. These are direct beam, omnidirectional and diffused transmission. The direct infrared transmission offers the highest transmission speeds. In direct transmission, the infrared receiver is aligned with the infrared signal sender so as to form a point-to-point connectivity link. The range of the radiated signal is however dependent on the focus level and the radiated power.

The omnidirectional infrared system employs a single base transmitter station that lies within the WLAN's direct line of sight. The base transmitter station is mounted on an appropriate point on the ceiling and at that point, it functions as a multiport repeater. The signals are broadcasted omniditrectionally and are received by the receivers located in its vicinity.

The diffused infrared system on the other hand employs a transmitter that sends signals to the whole of a given space. So as to receive the infrared signals, the receivers can be placed at any location within the office space.

The spread spectrum WLANs

This system makes use of multiple-cell configuration. This is to say that each of the cells in the arrangement is assigned a certain center frequency that is unique and that lies within a chosen band as to eliminate chances of signal interference. The system employs frequency hopping and direct sequence modulation methods. In the frequency hopping technique, the signals "jump" from one frequency to the next within a given bandwidth. The "listening" to the signal is then carried out by the transmission unit and should a successful detection of idle time occur, then it appropriately transmits the given data packet through the full channel bandwidth.

Direct Sequence Modulation

In this method, a wider band of frequency and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology are used. The signal emanating from the multiple units are transmitted at a given frequency range at a decreased power level. After the transmission of each signal, a specific code is utilized by the signal receiver in the signal identification. The frequency band used is the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band.

The Microwave and narrow WLANs

This form of WLAN implementation makes use of the narrow bandwidth microwaves in signal transmission. This frequency range requires FCC licensing.

WLAN topologies

The three main topologies of wireless LAN are; Basic Service Set (BSS), Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS), Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS) and Extended Service Set (ESS).

. Security threats and vulnerabilities affecting WLANs

WLANs suffer from a wide range of vulnerabilities and threats. These vulnerabilities and threats are cause d by attack aimed at disrupting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the WLAN services. The attacks are either active or passive.

Active attacks

These attacks are propagated whenever there is unauthorized access of Wireless LAN infrastructure resources. The reasons for the attack could vary. The motive of the attack could be to modify data or to interrupt the services of the WLAN framework

The passive attacks

This form of attack is executed whenever there is non-granted access of the WLAN services for the purpose of analysis the traffic or to eavesdrop. The security risks that affect WLANs include the disruption of services, interference, data interception, Distributed Denial of service attacks, interference, and unauthorized network access among others.

Mitigation of the threats

Te data transmitted via the WLAN should be encrypted and access to the Wireless access points should be secured with WPA or WEP technology.

VoIP risk assessment

VoIP technology is noted to have the same security threats like any other IP-based data networks and devices. There are several security challenges that affect VoIP systems. According to Materna (2009), the contemporary VoIP systems require a security system that is unique and different from the traditional security frameworks. The system is real-time and offers a mission-critical service to corporations. The VoIP system is targeted with malicious voice technology-specific threats. The VoIP systems are faced with cyber attacks when it comes to the applications, devices as well as protocols.

Recommendations

In order for the WLAN and VoIP system to be safe from attacks, it is important for CyberTrans Ltd. To proactively defend itself. This is through the installation of firewalls, antivirus software's, antimalware programs and the installation of intrusion detection systems. The company must also come up with a security policy that is observed in the operation of its it infrastructure.

Conclusions

The company should in the safest and most scalable technologies that are standard to the tracking industry. The company must perform system upgrades and patches so as to eliminate chances of attacks by newly developed viruses and malware.