NIST Publishes WiMAX Security Guide

October 20, 2009 // Published as a news service by IHS

The guide discusses Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) topologies, components, certifications, security features and related security concerns.

It covers the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard, including the 2009 iteration.

According to NIST, the main threat to WiMAX networks occurs when the radio links between WiMAX nodes are compromised. The systems are then susceptible to denial of service attacks, eavesdropping, message modification and resource misappropriation.

SP 800-127 recommends using built-in security features to protect the data confidentiality on the network. It also suggests that organizations using WiMAX technology should:

• Develop a robust WiMAX security policy and enforce it.
• Pay particular attention to WiMAX technical countermeasure capabilities before implementing WiMAX technology.
• Use WiMAX technology that supports Extensible Authentication Protocol methods as recommended in NIST SP 800-120.
• Implement Federal Information Processing Standards-validated encryption to protect data communications.

WiMAX is a wireless protocol with a larger reach than WiFi (IEEE 802.11x) networks, but smaller than wireless areas covered by cell phones.

The technology originally was designed to provide last-mile broadband wireless access as an alternative to cable, digital subscriber line (DSL) or T1 service. In recent years its focus has shifted to provide a more cellular-like, mobile architecture to serve a broader user base.

Source: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).