Sinopsis
Computer programs that radio amateurs use in their digital networks give various opportunities for checking user authentication before allowing access to sensitive parts of communication systems. Those systems include not only email servers that handle amateur radio messaging and file exchange, but also include radio-relay networks of digital repeaters that operate in big cities, or in rural and remote locations. This chapter summarizes results of experiments performed in real amateur packet radio networks as well as those provided by simulations with amateur radio software in local area networks. Our intention was to test security in accessing e-mail servers and radio relay systems within the average amateur radio digital infrastructure. This study suggests various methods which aim is to bridge the gap between the improved safety, and eventual discomfort in regular end-user’s and system administrator's activities. We focused our work to the following challenges: user authentication in amateur radio email servers; key management, i.e. obtaining, installing, and renewing secret documents (‘keys’) in between end-users and system administrators; encryption of email content and user passwords; attacks, epidemics, and appropriate countermeasures; and other protective actions that increase the security and satisfaction in average network participants. Described methods will help practitioners, students and teachers in computer science and communication technologies in implementing exciting amateur radio wireless opportunities within educational computer networks, as well as in planning new telecommunication systems.
Compared to security challenges we face to in our daily Internet-related activities, the amateur radio community does not suffer so much from exposures to known and unknown dangers that may come from their own wireless networks. For such positive situation we can thank to the global and local laws and regulations that require from all amateur radio candidates to pass written and oral, technical and regulatory tests, as well as to pass a basic security background check – before obtaining a license for transmitting radio signals. However, that does mean that the amateur radio digital infrastructure is completely secured and safe for every day’s use. Luckily, there are many opportunities in available safety measures, which support the integrity of both user's rights and system administrator's privileges. Personal computers that most of our schools, workplaces and homes are equipped with nowadays are capable to include security features in existing amateur radio programs or to become additionally enhanced with add-on software. Valuable information about available safety features can be easily obtained in regular amateur radio correspondence with peers, or by using dedicated information channels such as various ‘doc’ folders in email servers’ file repositories. For those who are likely to experiment in an isolated local area network (LAN), consisting of at least two or three machines, there are opportunities to replicate some of the experiments in this chapter.
As described in available sources on the amateur radio simulations [1], a simplest testing scenario might be in a LAN with at least two computers, which is a suitable situation for simulating radio traffic between two different amateur radio facilities, such as digital amateur radio-relay systems - commonly called digipeaters (a short of 'digital repeaters'), or BBS ('Bulletin Board Systems'; i.e., email servers). By simulating amateur radio traffic, we learn technologies and protocols used in real amateur radio frequency (RF) networks that include thousands radio-relay stations worldwide, as well as radio email servers and various home or work communicating solutions. For those of you who already have experience in dealing with ‘ham’ (=amateur radio) high frequency (HF), VHF or UHF communications, these homemade simulations will provide useful information on available solutions that are going to improve security of a wireless system that you might be responsible for.
One of the frequently asked questions during author’s amateur radio presentations at technical conferences and similar events – is how to ensure the safe access to the end-user email accounts – where the radio waves are the only media for transmitting information. In fact, due to the international regulations, the amateur radio traffic must travel as the open, no ciphered text, which means that all radio amateurs on a frequency are capable to ‘read’ everything that flows through the channel, by just simple activating his or her antenna, receiver, modem, and appropriate computer software [2]. The same rules also restrict what types of topics and discussions are acceptable in ham radio or not. For example, it is completely common to communicate the following themes: installation of antenna systems, power supply and grounding facilities; building amateur radio receivers and transmitters; programming amateur radio hardware and software; fixing small technical problems with computers and amateur radio stations, etc. That does not mean that general educational topics are not interesting for the local radio amateur community. Discussions about preparing technical conferences, papers and tutorials, or incoming technical expeditions and interesting school projects as well as non-classified details of scientific research or master and doctoral studies are completely suitable for distributing via amateur radio wireless networks. In opposite, it is not acceptable to discuss on things that include political, racial, national, social, sexual, business and similar potentially provocative themes. On the other side, there is a not a strict distinction between more or less priorities in the amateur radio communications. It is obvious that, according to the laws, emergency cases have priority, particularly when it comes to save human's lives or proprieties. But, in any occasion, one can be sure that amateur radio conversations are as 'private' as the talks in, say, public transportation systems, which actually means that there is not much 'privacy' there – if any. As mentioned, every user of a local amateur radio email server should be aware that unknown amateurs could easily read the text of his or her messages – either during an exchange of content with the email server, or during the exchange of content between those 'store & forward' systems, i.e. email servers. In such a relatively open environment, most countries have allowed the amateur radio communications primarily for an exchange of results of radio- and computer-related experiments that do not include commercial discussions, such as advertisements related to selling computers, other home appliances or any other goods. In the other words, the amateur radio laws support the major goal, which is to establish an ordinary '2-way' communication link between two or more wireless enthusiasts who might be the local school's students or teachers, as well as their parents, friends and other relatives. The basic idea is to increase the popularity of engineering and technology in young generations and to motivate them to continue education in technical professions such as electronics, electrical and mechanical engineering, computer science, hardware production, software development, etc. To summarize, when we come to commercial or other topics that are not appropriate for the amateur radio channels, it is the right time for all of us to switch from the amateur radio to commercial email service providers or similar public communicating systems.
Content
- Security in Amateur Packet Radio Networks
- Security Issues in Mobile Ad Hoc Network
- Secure AODV Routing Protocol Based on Trust Mechanism
- Security and Privacy in Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks: Survey and the Road Ahead.
- Security Issues and Approaches onWireless M2M Systems
- Security and Privacy in Wireless Body Area Networks for Health Care Applications
- Security and Privacy Issues in Wireless Mesh Networks: A Survey
- Trust Establishment Techniques in VANET
- Improving the Security of Wireless Sensor Networks by Protecting the Sensor Nodes against Side Channel Attacks
- Intrusion Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks: Issues, Challenges and Approaches
- Network Coding for Security in Wireless Reconfigurable Networks
- A Secure Intragroup Time Synchronization Technique to Improve the Security and Performance of Group-Based Wireless Sensor Networks
- Capacity-Approaching Channel Codes for Discrete Variable Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) Applications
- A Comparative Study on Security Implementation in EPS/LTE and WLAN/802.11
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