TABLE OF CONTENTS Several questions become apparent relative to the security of wireless communications systems.
What computer security threats apply to wireless systems?
Do these threats extend beyond normal CIA (confidentiality, data integrity, and availability)?
What are the predominate theories that we can examine to help us characterize a wireless system as information or risk to information over the air (OTA)?
If we are defending against an attack, what are the offensive operations to be considered?
The information warfare (IW) model helps us to define the relationships relative to the security of a wireless communications system; however, it is necessary to integrate these concepts with specific measures such as cryptographic, anti-jamming (A/J), and low probability of detection (LPD) and apply them to commercial and military operations to define the competing design concerns for the problem. In addition, we can apply Shannon s information concepts and Ryan s risk relationships to help define the context of information security and the value of its compromise or loss.
The first point to be made is that wireless security measures fall under the broad category of information warfare (IW). Martin Libicki proposed seven categories of IW, two of which are electronic warfare (EW) and hacker warfare.1 The former category includes communications combat in the realms of physical transfer of information (radioelectric) and the abstract formats of information (cryptographic). The latter category includes combat at all levels of the global information infrastructure.
Edward Waltz, a brilliant writer on...
