Network Working Group                                           S. Kelly
Request for Comments: 5418                                Aruba Networks
Category: Informational                                        T. Clancy
                                                                    LTS
                                                             March 2009


     Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP)
             Threat Analysis for IEEE 802.11 Deployments

Status of This Memo

  This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
  not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of this
  memo is unlimited.

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RFC 5418             CAPWAP 802.11 Threat Analysis            March 2009


Abstract

  Early Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) deployments feature a "fat"
  Access Point (AP), which serves as a stand-alone interface between
  the wired and wireless network segments.  However, this model raises
  scaling, mobility, and manageability issues, and the Control and
  Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) protocol is meant to
  address these issues.  CAPWAP effectively splits the fat AP
  functionality into two network elements, and the communication
  channel between these components may traverse potentially hostile
  hops.  This document analyzes the security exposure resulting from
  the introduction of CAPWAP and summarizes the associated security
  considerations for IEEE 802.11-based CAPWAP implementations and
  deployments.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction ....................................................4
     1.1. Rationale for Limiting Analysis Scope to IEEE 802.11 .......5
     1.2. Notations ..................................................6
  2. Abbreviations and Definitions ...................................7
  3. CAPWAP Security Goals for IEEE 802.11 Deployments ...............8
  4. Overview of IEEE 802.11 and AAA Security ........................8
     4.1. IEEE 802.11 Authentication and AAA .........................9
     4.2. IEEE 802.11 Link Security .................................11
     4.3. AAA Security ..............................................11
     4.4. Cryptographic Bindings ....................................12
  5. Structure of the Analysis ......................................13
  6. Representative CAPWAP Deployment Scenarios .....................14
     6.1. Preliminary Definitions ...................................14
          6.1.1. Split MAC ..........................................15
          6.1.2. Local MAC ..........................................15
          6.1.3. Remote MAC .........................................15
          6.1.4. Data Tunneling .....................................16
     6.2. Example Scenarios .........................................16
          6.2.1. Localized Modular Deployment .......................16
          6.2.2. Internet Hotspot or Temporary Network ..............17
          6.2.3. Distributed Deployments ............................18
                 6.2.3.1. Large Physically Contained Organization ...18
                 6.2.3.2. Campus Deployments ........................18
                 6.2.3.3. Branch Offices ............................18
                 6.2.3.4. Telecommuter or Remote Office .............19
  7. General Adversary Capabilities .................................19
     7.1. Passive versus Active Adversaries .........................20
  8. Vulnerabilities Introduced by CAPWAP ...........................22
     8.1. The Session Establishment Phase ...........................22
          8.1.1. The Discovery Phase ................................22
          8.1.2. Forming an Association (Joining) ...................23



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     8.2. The Connected Phase .......................................23
  9. Adversary Goals in CAPWAP ......................................24
     9.1. Eavesdrop on AC-WTP Traffic ...............................24
     9.2. WTP Impersonation and/or Rootkit Installation .............25
     9.3. AC Impersonation and/or Rootkit Installation ..............26
     9.4. Other Goals or Sub-Goals ..................................26
  10. Countermeasures and Their Effects .............................27
     10.1. Communications Security Elements .........................27
          10.1.1. Mutual Authentication .............................27
                 10.1.1.1. Authorization ............................27
          10.1.2. Data Origin Authentication ........................29
          10.1.3. Data Integrity Verification .......................29
          10.1.4. Anti-Replay .......................................29
          10.1.5. Confidentiality ...................................29
     10.2. Putting the Elements Together ............................30
          10.2.1. Control Channel Security ..........................30
          10.2.2. Data Channel Security .............................30
  11. Countermeasures Provided by DTLS ..............................30
  12. Issues Not Addressed By DTLS ..................................31
     12.1. DoS Attacks ..............................................31
     12.2. Passive Monitoring (Sniffing) ............................32
     12.3. Traffic Analysis .........................................32
     12.4. Active MitM Interference .................................32
     12.5. Other Active Attacks .....................................32
  13. Security Considerations .......................................32
  14. Acknowledgements ..............................................32
  15. References ....................................................33
     15.1. Normative References .....................................33
     15.2. Informative References ...................................33






















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1.  Introduction

  Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) deployments are increasingly
  common as the technology matures and wireless interface chips become
  standard equipment in laptops and various hand-held computing
  devices.  In the simplest deployments, WLAN access is entirely
  provided by a wireless Access Point (AP), which bridges the client
  system (station or "STA") and the Distribution System (DS) or wired
  network.

       +------+
       |client|         +--------+     |
       |(STA) |         | Access |     |    +------+
       +------+ ) ) ) ) | Point  |-----|   /optional\    +-------+
      /      /          +--------+     |--(    L3    )---|  AAA  |
     +------+                          |   \ cloud  /    +-------+
                                       |    +------+

                 Figure 1: IEEE 802.11 Deployment Using RSN

  In this architecture, the AP serves as a gatekeeper, facilitating
  client access to the network.  Typically, the client must somehow
  authenticate prior to being granted access, and in enterprise
  deployments, this is frequently accomplished using [8021X].  When
  using IEEE 802.11, this mode is called a Robust Security Network
  (RSN) [80211I].  Here, the client is called the "supplicant", the AP
  is the "authenticator", and either the AP or an external
  Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) server fulfill
  the role of "authentication server", depending on the authentication
  mechanism used.

  From the perspective of the network administrator, the wired LAN to
  which the AP is attached is typically considered to be more trusted
  than the wireless LAN, either because there is some physical boundary
  around the wired segment (i.e., the building walls), or because it is
  otherwise secured somehow (perhaps cryptographically).  The AAA
  server may reside within this same physical administrative domain, or
  it may be remote.  Common AAA protocols are RADIUS [RFC3579] and
  Diameter [RFC4072].

  The CAPWAP protocol [RFC5415] modifies this architecture by splitting
  the AP into two pieces, the Wireless Termination Point (WTP), and the
  Access Controller (AC), and creating a communications link between
  the two new components.  In this model, the WTP implements the WLAN
  edge functions with respect to the user (wireless transmit/receive),
  while the AC implements the wired-side edge functions.  For a
  complete description of CAPWAP architecture, see [RFC4118].




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    +------+    +==========================+
    |client|    |           +---+          |   |    +------+
    |(STA) |    | +-----+  /  L3 \  +----+ |   |   /optional\   +-----+
    +------+ ) )|)| WTP |-( cloud )-| AC |-|---|--(    L3    )--| AAA |
   /      /     | +-----+  \     /  +----+ |   |   \ cloud  /   +-----+
  +------+      |           +---+          |   |    +------+
                +==========================+
                   AP equivalence boundary

              Figure 2: WLAN Deployment utilizing CAPWAP

  For our purposes, it is useful to think of the entire CAPWAP system
  as a sort of "AP equivalent", and the figure above illustrates this
  concept.  With this model in mind, our ideal is to ensure that CAPWAP
  introduces no vulnerabilities that aren't present in the original fat
  AP scenario.  As we will see, this is not entirely possible, but from
  a security perspective, we should nonetheless strive to achieve this
  equivalence as nearly as we can.

1.1.  Rationale for Limiting Analysis Scope to IEEE 802.11

  Although CAPWAP derives from protocols that were designed explicitly
  for management of IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs, it may also turn out to
  be useful for managing other types of network device deployments,
  wireless and otherwise.  This might lead one to conclude that a
  single security analysis, except for minor per-binding variations,
  might be sufficient.  However, based on a limited number of
  additional related scenarios that have been described as likely
  candidates for CAPWAP thus far, e.g., use with Radio Frequency
  Identification (RFID) sensors, this does not seem to be a simple,
  binary decision.

  Contrasting RFID and IEEE 802.11 deployment scenarios, IEEE 802.11
  users typically authenticate to some a back-end AAA server, and as a
  result of that exchange, derive cryptographic keys that are used by
  the STA and WTP to encrypt and authenticate over-air communications.
  That is, the threat environment is such that the following typically
  holds:

  o  The user is not immediately trusted, and therefore must
     authenticate.

  o  The WTP is not immediately trusted, and therefore must indirectly
     authenticate to the user via the AAA server.

  o  The AAA server is not necessarily trusted, and therefore must
     authenticate.




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  o  The medium is not trusted, and therefore communications must be
     secured.

  RFID tags, on the other hand, typically do not have the same
  authentication, confidentiality, and integrity requirements as the
  principals in a WLAN deployment, and are not, generally speaking,
  well suited to environments in which similar threats exist.  As a
  result of the combination of WLAN security requirements and the
  Medium Access Control (MAC)-splitting behavior that epitomizes the
  IEEE 802.11 binding for CAPWAP, there are definite security-related
  considerations in the WLAN case that simply do not exist for an RFID-
  based adaptation of CAPWAP.

  Now, there certainly are similarities and overlapping security
  considerations that will apply to any CAPWAP deployment scenario.
  For example, authentication of the AC for purposes of WTP device
  management operations is probably always important.  Even so, the
  threats to RFID are different enough to suggest the need for a
  separate security analysis in that case.  For example, since RFID
  tags commonly deployed today implement no over-air authentication,
  integrity, or confidentiality mechanisms, the need for similar
  mechanisms between the WTP and AC for RFID tag data communications is
  not clearly indicated -- that is, the threats are different.

  We have limited visibility into the varied ways in which CAPWAP might
  be adapted in the future, although we may observe that it seems to
  provide the basis for a generalized scalable provisioning protocol.
  Given our currently limited view of the technologies for which it
  might be used, it seems prudent to recognize that our current view is
  colored by the IEEE 802.11 roots of the protocol, and make that
  recognition explicit in our analysis.  If newly added bindings turn
  out to be substantially similar to IEEE 802.11, then the associated
  binding documents can simply reference this document in their
  security considerations, while calling out any substantive
  differences.  However, it does appear, based on our current limited
  visibility, that per-binding threat analyses will be required.

1.2.  Notations

  The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
  "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
  document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119 [RFC2119].









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2.  Abbreviations and Definitions

  o    AAA - Authentication Authorization and Accounting

  o    AC - Access Controller

  o    AES-CCMP - Advanced Encryption Standard - Counter-mode CBC MAC
       Protocol

  o    AP - (wireless) Access Point

  o    CAPWAP - Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points

  o    Cert - X509v3 Certificate

  o    DIAMETER - proposed successor to RADIUS protocol (see below)

  o    DoS - Denial of Service (attack)

  o    DTLS - Datagram Transport Layer Security

  o    EAP - Extensible Authentication Protocol

  o    MitM - Man in the Middle

  o    PMK - Pairwise Master Key

  o    PSK - Pre-Shared Key

  o    RADIUS - Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service

  o    STA - (wireless) STAtion

  o    TK - Transient Key

  o    TKIP - Temporal Key Integrity Protocol

  o    WEP - Wired Equivalent Privacy

  o    WLAN - Wireless Local Area Network

  o    WTP - Wireless Termination Point









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3.  CAPWAP Security Goals for IEEE 802.11 Deployments

  When deployed for use with IEEE 802.11, CAPWAP should avoid
  introducing any system security degradation as compared to the fat AP
  scenario.  However, by splitting the AP functions between the WTP and
  AC, CAPWAP places potentially sensitive protocol interactions that
  were previously internal to the AP onto the Layer 3 (L3) network
  between the AC and WTP.  Therefore, the security properties of this
  new system are dependent on the security properties of the
  intervening network, as well as on the details of the split.

  Since CAPWAP does not directly interact with over-air or AAA
  protocols, these are mostly out of scope for this analysis.  That is,
  we do not analyze the basic AAA or IEEE 802.11 security protocols
  directly here, as CAPWAP does not modify these protocols in any way,
  nor do they directly interact with CAPWAP.  However, by splitting AP
  functionality, CAPWAP may expose security elements of these protocols
  that would not otherwise be exposed.  In such cases, CAPWAP should
  explicitly avoid degrading the security of these protocols in any way
  when compared to the fat AP scenario.

4.  Overview of IEEE 802.11 and AAA Security

  While this document is not directly concerned with IEEE 802.11 or AAA
  security, there are some subtle interactions introduced by CAPWAP,
  and there will be related terminology we must touch on in discussing
  these.  The following figure illustrates some of the complex
  relationships between the various protocols, and illustrates where
  CAPWAP sits:






















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                            +-----+  RADIUS/Diameter
                            | AAA |<==============\\
                            +-----+               ||
                               |                  ||
                   +-----------+------------+     ||
                   |                        |     ||
                +-----+                  +----+   ||
                | AC  |                  | AC |<==//
                +-----+                  +----+
             +---|  |---+             +---|  |---+
             |          |             |          |
             |          |             |  CAPWAP  |
          +-----+    +-----+       +-----+    +-----+
          | WTP |    | WTP |       | WTP |    | WTP |
          +-----+    +-----+       +-----+    +-----+
          ^                       ^^^
         ^^                      ^^^  802.11i,
         ^^                      ^^  802.1X, WPA,
     +-----+              +-----+     WEP
     | STA |              | STA |
     +-----+              +-----+
    /     /              /     /
   +-----+              +-----+

              Figure 3: CAPWAP Protocol Hierarchy

  CAPWAP is being inserted between the 802.ll link security mechanism
  and the authentication server communication, so to provide supporting
  context, we give a very brief overview of IEEE 802.11 and AAA
  security below.  It is very important to note that we only cover
  those topics that are relevant to our discussion, so what follows is
  not by any means exhaustive.  For more detailed coverage of IEEE
  802.11-related security topics, see e.g., [80211SEC].

4.1.  IEEE 802.11 Authentication and AAA

  IEEE 802.11 provides for multiple methods of authentication prior to
  granting access to the network.  In the simplest case, open
  authentication is used, and this is equivalent to no authentication.
  However, if IEEE 802.11 link security is to be provided, then some
  sort of authentication is required in order to bootstrap the trust
  relationship that underlies the associated key establishment process.

  This authentication can be implemented through use of a shared
  secret.  In such cases, the authentication may be implicitly tied to
  the link security mechanism, (e.g., when Wired Equivalent Privacy
  (WEP) is used with open authentication), or it may be explicit, e.g.,
  when Wi-fi Protected Access is used with a Pre-Shared Key (WPA-PSK).



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  In other cases, authentication requires an explicit cryptographic
  exchange, and this operation bootstraps link security.  In most such
  cases, IEEE 802.1X is used in conjunction with the Extensible
  Authentication Protocol [RFC3748] to authenticate either the client
  or both the client and the authentication server.  This exchange
  produces cryptographic keying material for use with IEEE 802.11
  security mechanisms.

  The resulting trust relationships are complex, as can be seen from
  the following (simplified) figure:

        /--------------------------------------------\
        |                       TK (6)               | EAP Credentials,
        V                  /--------------\          | PMK (3)
     +------+              |  PSK/Cert(1) |          |
     |client|              V              |          V
     |(STA) |         +--------+     |    v     |  +-----+
     +------+ ) ) ) ) |  WTP   |-----|  +----+  |--| AAA |
    /      /          +--------+     |--| AC |--|  +-----+
   +------+              ^           |  +----+  |      ^
     ^  ^                |               ^  ^ (2,4)    |
     |  |    PTK (7)     |               |  \----------/
     |  \----------------/               |   Radius PSK,
     \-----------------------------------/       PMK
             4-Way Handshake (w/PMK) (5)

                  Figure 4: Trust Relationships

  The following describes each of the relationships:

  1.  WTP and AC establish secure link

  2.  AC establishes secure link with AAA server

  3.  STA and AAA server conduct EAP, produce PMK

  4.  AAA server pushes PMK to AC

  5.  AC and STA conduct 4-way handshake (producing TK, among other
      keys)

  6.  AC pushes TK to WTP (if decentralized encryption is used)

  7.  WTP/STA use TK for IEEE 802.11 link security







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4.2.  IEEE 802.11 Link Security

  The current CAPWAP binding for IEEE 802.11 primarily supports the use
  of IEEE 802.11i [80211I] security on the wireless link.  However,
  since IEEE 802.11i does not prohibit the use of WEP for link
  security, neither does CAPWAP.  Nonetheless, use of WEP with CAPWAP
  is NOT RECOMMENDED.

  If WEP is used with CAPWAP, the CAPWAP system will inherit all the
  security problems associated with the use of WEP in any wireless
  network.  In particular, 40-bit keys can be subject to brute-force
  attacks, and statistical attacks can be used to crack session keys of
  any length after enough packets have been collected [WEPSEC].  As of
  late 2008, such attacks are trivial, and take mere seconds to
  accomplish.

  Newer link security mechanisms described in IEEE 802.11i, including
  TKIP and AES-CCMP, significantly improve the security of wireless
  networks.  It is strongly RECOMMENDED that CAPWAP only be used with
  these newer techniques.

  The only slight insecurity introduced by CAPWAP when using it with
  IEEE 802.11i is the handling of the KeyRSC counter.  When performing
  decentralized encryption, this value is maintained by the WTP, but
  needed by the AC to perform the 4-way handshake.  The value used
  during the handshake initializes the counter on the client.  In
  CAPWAP, this value is initialized to zero, allowing the possibility
  for replay attacks of broadcast traffic in the window between initial
  authentication and the client receiving the first valid broadcast
  packet from the WTP.  This slight window of attack has been
  documented in [RFC5416].

4.3.  AAA Security

  CAPWAP has very little control over how AAA security is deployed, as
  it's not directly bound to AAA as it is to IEEE 802.11.  As a result,
  CAPWAP can only provide guidance on how to best secure the AAA
  portions of a CAPWAP-enabled wireless network.

  The AAA protocol is a term that refers to use of either RADIUS
  [RFC3579] or Diameter [RFC4072] to transport EAP communications
  between the authenticator and the AAA server.  Here the authenticator
  is the AC, thus the AAA protocol secures the link between the AC and
  AAA server.  Use of non-unique or low-entropy long-term credentials
  to secure the AC-AAA link can severely impact the overall security of
  a CAPWAP deployment, and consequently is NOT RECOMMENDED.  Each AC
  should have a mutually authenticated link that provides robust data




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  confidentiality and integrity.  The AAA protocols and keys used
  SHOULD be consistent with the guidance in [RFC4962].

  Since CAPWAP does not directly interact with AAA, it does not affect
  the overall security of a AAA network.  In fact, by decreasing the
  number of devices that communicate with the AAA server, we can
  actually decrease its exposure and risk of attack.

4.4.  Cryptographic Bindings

  One key shortcoming of both the EAP and AAA models is that they are
  inherently two-party models.  In CAPWAP deployments, we rely on a
  variety of security associations when an IEEE 802.11 WLAN client
  session is established.  These include:

  o  WTP-AC (CAPWAP Authentication)

  o  AC-AAA (AAA Authentication)

  o  STA-AAA (EAP Method Execution)

  o  STA-AC (AAA pushes keys to AC)

  o  STA-WTP (AC pushes keys to WTP)

  Each of these security associations involve a pairwise trust
  relationship, and none result from a multi-party key agreement
  protocol such as Kerberos.  In particular, just because an STA trusts
  a AAA server who trusts an AC who trusts a WTP doesn't necessarily
  mean that the STA should trust the WTP.  The WTP may be compromised
  and using his credentials to maintain a trust relationship with an
  AC, while advertising false information about the network to an STA.

  Protection against attacks like these can be very difficult, while
  maintaining scalable trust relationships with other entities in the
  network.  Since multiple protocols are being used, multi-party keying
  to derive end-to-end trust relationships is infeasible.

  Since CAPWAP is a collection of pairwise trust relationships, in
  order to claim CAPWAP is secure, we must believe in the transitivity
  of these trust relationships.  Its hierarchal nature mitigates the
  domino effect, but any compromised device in the hierarchy can affect
  those below it in the hierarchy.








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5.  Structure of the Analysis

  In order to conduct a comprehensive threat analysis, there are some
  basic questions we must answer:

  o  Exactly what are we trying to protect?

  o  What are the risks?

     *  What are the capabilities of would-be attackers?

     *  What might be goals of would-be attackers?

     *  What are the vulnerabilities or conditions they might attempt
        to exploit?

     *  For various attackers, what is the likelihood of attempting to
        exploit a given vulnerability given the cost of the exploit
        versus the value of attack?

  o  What potential mitigation strategies are available to us?

  o  What kinds of trade-offs do these mitigation strategies offer, and
     do they introduce any new risks?

  This is a very simplistic overview of what we must accomplish below,
  but it should give some insight into the manner in which the
  discussion proceeds.

  As a preliminary, we describe some representative CAPWAP deployment
  scenarios.  This helps to frame subsequent discussion, so that we
  better understand what we are trying to protect.  Following this, we
  describe a threat model in terms of adversary capabilities,
  vulnerabilities introduced by the CAPWAP functionality split, and a
  representative sampling of adversary goals.  Note that we do not
  spend a lot of time speculating about specific attackers here, as
  this is a very general analysis, and there are many different
  circumstances under which a WLAN might be deployed.

  Following the development of the general threat model, we describe
  appropriate countermeasures, and discuss how these are implemented
  through various means within the CAPWAP protocol.  Finally, we
  discuss those issues that are not (or cannot be) completely
  addressed, and we give recommendations for mitigating the resulting
  exposure.






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6.  Representative CAPWAP Deployment Scenarios

  In this section, we describe some representative CAPWAP deployment
  scenarios, and in particular, those scenarios that have been taken
  into consideration for the current CAPWAP protocol security design.
  For clarity, we first provide some preliminary definitions, along
  with descriptions of common deployment configurations that span
  multiple scenarios.  Following this is a sampling of individual
  deployment scenarios.

6.1.  Preliminary Definitions

  The IEEE 802.11 standard describes several frame types, and
  variations in WLAN architectures dictate where these frame types
  originate and/or terminate (i.e., at the WTP or AC).  There are three
  basic IEEE 802.11 frame types currently defined:

  o  Control: These are for managing the transmission medium (i.e., the
     airwaves).  Examples include RTS, CTS, ACK, PS-POLL, CF-POLL, CF-
     END, and CF-ACK.

  o  Management: These are for managing access to the logical network,
     as opposed to the physical medium.  Example functions include
     association/disassociation, reassociation, deauthentication,
     Beacons, and Probes.

  o  Data: Transit data (network packets).

  There are a number of other services provided by the WLAN
  infrastructure, including these:

  o  Packet distribution

  o  Synchronization

  o  Retransmissions

  o  Transmission Rate Adaptation

  o  Privacy/Confidentiality/Integrity (e.g., IEEE 802.11i)

  The manner in which these (and other) services are divided among the
  AC and WTP is collectively referred to in terms of "MAC-splitting"
  characteristics.  We briefly describe various forms of MAC-splitting
  below.  For further detail, see [RFC5415] and [RFC5416].






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6.1.1.  Split MAC

  Split MAC scenarios are characterized by the fact that some IEEE
  802.11 MAC messages are processed by the WTP, while some are
  processed by the AC.  For example, a Split MAC implementation might
  divide IEEE 802.11 frame processing as follows:

  WTP

     *  Beacons

     *  Probes

     *  RTS, CTS, ACK, PS-POLL, CF-POLL,CF-END, CF-ACK

  AC

     *  Association/Reassociation/Disassociation

     *  Authentication/Deauthentication

     *  Key Management

     *  IEEE 802.11 Link Security (WEP, TKIP, IEEE 802.11i)

  The Split MAC model is not confined to any one particular deployment
  scenario, as we'll see below, and vendors have considerable leeway in
  choosing how to distribute the IEEE 802.11 functionality.

6.1.2.  Local MAC

  Local MAC scenarios are characterized by the fact that most IEEE
  802.11 MAC messages are processed by the WTP.  Some IEE 802.11 MAC
  frames must be forwarded to the AC (i.e., IEEE 802.11 Association
  Request frames), but in general, the WTP manages the MAC
  interactions.  Data frames may also be forwarded to the AC, but are
  generally bridged locally.

6.1.3.  Remote MAC

  Remote MAC scenarios are characterized by the fact that all IEEE
  802.11 MAC messages are forwarded to the AC.  The WTP does not
  process any of these locally.  This model supports very lightweight
  WTPs that need be little more than smart antennas.  While Remote MAC
  scenarios are not addressed by the current IEEE 802.11 protocol
  binding for CAPWAP, the description is included here for
  completeness.




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6.1.4.  Data Tunneling

  Regardless of the approach to MAC splitting, there is also the matter
  of where user data packets are translated between wired and wireless
  frame formats, i.e., where the bridging function occurs.  In some
  cases, user data frames are tunneled back to the AC, and in others,
  they are locally bridged by the WTP.  While one might expect Remote
  MAC implementations to always tunnel data packets back to the AC, for
  Local and Split MAC modes the decision is not so clear.  Also, it's
  important to note that there are no rules or standards in place that
  rigidly define these terms and associated handling.  Data tunneling
  is further discussed for each scenario below.

6.2.  Example Scenarios

  In this section, we describe a number of example deployment
  scenarios.  This is not meant to be an exhaustive enumeration;
  rather, it is intended to give a general sense of how WLANs currently
  are or may be deployed.  This will provide important context when we
  discuss adversaries and threats in subsequent sections below.

6.2.1.  Localized Modular Deployment

  The localized modular model describes a WLAN that is deployed within
  a single domain of control, typically within either a single building
  or some otherwise physically contained area.  This would be typical
  of a small to medium-sized organization.  In general, the LAN enjoys
  some sort of physical security (e.g., it's within the confines of a
  building for which access is somehow limited), although the actual
  level of physical security is often far less than is assumed.

  In such deployments, the WLAN is typically an extension of a wired
  LAN.  However, its interface to the wired LAN can vary.  For example,
  the interconnection between the WTPs and ACs can have its own wiring,
  and its only connection to the LAN is via the AC's Distribution
  System (DS) port(s).  In such cases, the WLAN frequently occupies its
  own distinct addressing partition(s) in order to facilitate routing,
  and the AC often acts as a forwarding element.

  In other cases, the WTPs may be mingled with the existing LAN
  elements, perhaps sharing address space, or perhaps somehow logically
  isolated from other wired elements (e.g., by Virtual LAN).  Under
  these circumstances, it is possible that traffic destined to/from the
  WLAN is mixed with traffic to/from the LAN.

  Localized deployments such as these could potentially choose any one
  of the MAC-splitting scenarios, depending on the size of the
  deployment, mobility requirements, and other considerations.  In many



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  cases, any one of the various MAC-splitting approaches would be
  sufficient.  This implies that user data may be bridged by either the
  WTP or the AC.

6.2.2.  Internet Hotspot or Temporary Network

  The Internet hotspot scenario is representative of a more general
  deployment model one might find at cafes, hotels, or airports.  It is
  also quite similar to temporary WLANs, which are created for
  conferences, conventions, and the like.  Some common characteristics
  of these networks include the following:

  o  Primary function is to provide Internet access

  o  Authentication may be very weak

  o  There frequently is no IEEE 802.11 link security

  Sometimes, the Local MAC model is used.  In such cases, the AC may be
  "in the clouds" (out on the Internet somewhere), and user data
  traffic will typically be locally bridged, rather than tunneled back
  to the AC.  Some IEEE 802.11 management traffic may be tunneled back
  to the AC, but frequently the authentication consists in simply
  knowing the Service Set Identifier (SSID) and perhaps a shared key
  for use with WEP or WPA-PSK.

  In other cases, a Split MAC model may be used.  This is more common
  in airport and hotel scenarios, where users may have an account that
  requires verification with some back-end infrastructure prior to
  access.  In these cases, IEEE 802.11 management frames are tunneled
  back to the AC (e.g., user authentication), and stronger IEEE 802.11
  link security may be provided (e.g., RSN), but user data is still
  typically locally bridged, as the primary goal is to provide Internet
  access.

  A third variation on this scenario entails tunneling user data
  through a local AC in order to apply centralized policy.  For
  example, in a hotel or airport scenario, there is no reason to
  provide direct access between WLAN users (who typically are within a
  private address space), and in fact, allowing such access might
  invite various sorts of malicious behavior.  In such cases, tunneling
  all user data back to the (local) AC provides a security choke point
  at which policy may be applied to the traffic.








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6.2.3.  Distributed Deployments

  The distributed deployment model describes a more complex WLAN
  topology that features network segments that are typically somehow
  spatially separated, although not necessarily so.  These segments
  might be connected in a physically secure manner, or (if they are
  widely separated) they might be connected across potentially hostile
  hops.  Below we discuss several subgroups of this model.

6.2.3.1.  Large Physically Contained Organization

  One distributed deployment example involves a single large
  organization that is physically contained, typically within one large
  building.  The network might feature logically distinct (e.g., per-
  department or per-floor) network segments, and in some cases, there
  might be firewalls between the segments for access control.  In such
  deployments, the AC is typically in a centralized datacenter, but
  there might also be a hierarchy of ACs, with a master in the
  datacenter, and subordinate ACs distributed among the network
  segments.  Such deployments typically assume some level of physical
  security for the network infrastructure.

6.2.3.2.  Campus Deployments

  Some large organizations have networks that span multiple buildings.
  The interconnections between these buildings might be wired (e.g.,
  underground cables), or might be wireless (e.g., a point-to-point
  Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) link).  The interconnections may be
  secured, but sometimes they are not.  The organization may be
  providing outdoor wireless access to users, in which case some WTPs
  will typically be located outdoors, and these may or may not be
  within physically secure space.  For example, college campuses
  frequently provide outdoor wireless access, and the associated WTPs
  may simply be mounted on a light post.

  For such deployments, ACs may be centrally located in a datacenter,
  or they may be distributed.  User data traffic may be locally
  bridged, but more frequently it is tunneled back to the AC, as this
  facilitates mobility and centralized policy enforcement.

6.2.3.3.  Branch Offices

  A common deployment model entails an enterprise consisting of a
  headquarters and one or more branch offices, with the branches
  connected to the central HQ.  In some cases, the site-to-site
  connection is via a private WAN link, and in others it is across the





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  Internet.  For connections crossing potentially hostile hops (e.g.,
  the Internet), some sort of Virtual Private Network (VPN) is
  typically employed as a protective measure.

  In some simple branch office scenarios, there are only WTPs at the
  remote site, and these are managed by a controller residing at the
  central site.  In other cases, a branch site may have its own
  subordinate controller, with the master controller again residing at
  the central site.  In the first case, local bridging is often the
  best choice for user data, due to latency and link capacity issues.
  In the second case, traffic may be locally bridged by the WTPs, or it
  may be forwarded to the local subordinate controller for centralized
  policy enforcement.  The choice depends on many factors, including
  local topology and security policy.

6.2.3.4.  Telecommuter or Remote Office

  It is becoming increasingly common to send WTPs home with employees
  for use as a telecommuting solution.  While there are not yet any
  standards or hard rules for how these work, a fairly typical
  configuration provides Split MAC with all user data tunneled back to
  the controller in the organization's datacenter so that the WTP is
  essentially providing wireless VPN services.  These devices may in
  some cases provide their own channel security (e.g., IPsec), but
  alternative approaches are possible.  For example, there may be a
  stand-alone VPN gateway between the WTP and the Internet, which
  forwards all organization-bound traffic to the VPN gateway.

  Similarly, it is becoming increasingly common for travelers to plug a
  WTP into a hotel broadband connection.  While in many cases, these
  WTPs are stand-alone fat APs, in some cases they are configured to
  create a secure connection to a centralized controller back at
  headquarters, essentially forming a VPN connection.  In such
  scenarios, a Split MAC approach is typical, but split-tunneling may
  also be supported (i.e., only data traffic destined for the
  headquarters is tunneled back to the controller, with Internet-bound
  traffic locally bridged).

7.  General Adversary Capabilities

  This section describes general capabilities we might expect an
  adversary to have in various CAPWAP scenarios.  Obviously, it is
  possible to limit what an adversary can do through various deployment
  restrictions (e.g., provide strict physical security for the AC-WTP
  link), but such restrictions are simply not always feasible.  For






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  example, it is not possible to provide strict physical security for
  various aspects of the telecommuter scenario.  Thus, we must consider
  what capabilities an adversary might have in the worst case, and plan
  accordingly.

7.1.  Passive versus Active Adversaries

  One way to classify adversaries is in terms of their ability to
  interact with AC/WTP communications.  For example, a passive
  adversary is one who can observe and perhaps record traffic, but
  cannot interact with it.  They can "see" the traffic as it goes by,
  but they cannot interfere in any way, and they cannot inject traffic
  of their own.  Note that such an adversary does not necessarily see
  all traffic -- they may miss portions of a communication, e.g.,
  because some packets traverse a different path, or because the
  network is so busy that the adversary can't keep up (and drops
  packets as a result).

  An active adversary, on the other hand, can directly interact with
  the traffic in real-time.  There are two modes in which an active
  adversary might operate:

  Pass-by (or sniffer)

     *  Can observe/record traffic

     *  Can inject packets

     *  Can replay packets

     *  Can reflect packets (i.e., send duplicate packets to a
        different destination, including the to the packet source)

     *  Can cause redirection (e.g., via Address Resolution Protocol
        (ARP)/DNS poisoning)

  Inline (Man-in-the-Middle, or MitM)

     *  Can observe/record traffic

     *  Can inject packets

     *  Can replay packets

     *  Can reflect packets (with or without duplication)

     *  Can delete packets




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     *  Can modify packets

     *  Can delay packets

  A passive adversary could be located anywhere along the path between
  the AC and WTP, and is characterized by the fact that it only
  listens:

       +------+
       |client|         +--------+     |
       |(STA) |         |   WTP  |     |     +------+
       +------+ ) ) ) ) |        |-----|    /        \    +------+
      /      /          +--------+     |-x-( optional )---|  AC  |
     +------+                          | |  \ cloud  /    +------+
                                       | |   +------+
                                         |
                                         |  +-----------+
                                         +--|  pass-by  |
                                            |  listener |
                                            +-----------+

                    Figure 5: Passive Attacker

  An active adversary may attach in the same manner as the passive
  adversary (in which case it is in pass-by mode), or it may be lodged
  directly in the path between the AC and WTP (inline mode):

       +------+
       |client|       +--------+   |
       |(STA) |       |   WTP  |   | +------+    +------+
       +------+ ) ) ) |        |---| |active|   /        \    +------+
      /      /        +--------+   |-| MitM |--( optional )---|  AC  |
     +------+                      | +------+   \ cloud  /    +------+
                                   |             +------+

              Figure 6: Active Man-in-the-Middle Attacker

  If it is not inline, it can only observe and create traffic; if it is
  inline, it can do whatever it wishes with the traffic it sees.

  It is important to recognize that becoming a MitM does not
  necessarily require physical insertion directly into the transmission
  path.  Alternatively, the adversary can cause traffic to be diverted
  to the MitM system, e.g., via ARP or DNS poisoning.  Hence, launching
  an MitM attack is not so difficult as it might first appear.






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8.  Vulnerabilities Introduced by CAPWAP

  In this section, we discuss vulnerabilities that arise as a result of
  splitting the AP function across potentially hostile hops.  We
  primarily consider network-based vulnerabilities, and while in
  particular we do not address how an adversary might affect a physical
  compromise of the WTP or AC, we do consider the potential effects of
  such compromises with respect to CAPWAP and the operational changes
  it introduces when compared to stand-alone AP deployments.

  Functionally, we are interested in two general "states of being" with
  respect to AC-WTP communications: the session establishment phase or
  state, and the "connected" (or session established) state.  We
  discuss each of these further below.  Also, it is important to note
  that we first describe vulnerabilities assuming that the CAPWAP
  communications lack security of any kind.  Later, we will evaluate
  the protocol given the security mechanisms currently planned for
  CAPWAP.

8.1.  The Session Establishment Phase

  The session establishment phase consists of two subordinate phases:
  discovery, and association or joining.  These are treated
  individually in the following sections.

8.1.1.  The Discovery Phase

  Discovery consists of an information exchange between the AC and WTP.
  There are several potential areas of exposure:

  Information Leakage:  During Discovery, information about the WTP and
     AC hardware and software are exchanged, as well as information
     about the AC's current operational state.  This could provide an
     adversary with valuable insights.

  DoS Potential:  During Discovery, there are several opportunities for
     Denial of Service (DoS), beyond those inherently available to an
     inline adversary.  For example, an adversary might respond to a
     WTP more quickly than a valid AC, causing the WTP to attempt to
     join with a non-existent AC, or one which is currently at maximum
     load.

  Redirection Potential:  There are multiple ways in which an adversary
     might redirect a WTP during Discovery.  For example, the adversary
     might pretend to be a valid AC, and entice the WTP to connect to
     it.  Or, the adversary might instead cause the WTP to associate





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     with the AC of the adversary's choosing, by posing as a DNS or
     DHCP server, injecting a spoofed Discovery Response, or by
     modifying valid AC responses.

  Misdirection:  An adversary might mislead either the WTP or AC by
     modifying the Discovery Request or Response in flight.  In this
     way, the AC and/or WTP will have a false view of the other's
     capabilities, and this might cause a change in the way they
     interact (e.g., they might not use important features not
     supported by earlier versions).

8.1.2.  Forming an Association (Joining)

  The association phase begins once the WTP has determined with which
  AC it wishes to join.  There are several potential areas of exposure
  during this phase:

  Information Leakage:  During association, the adversary could glean
     useful information about hardware, software, current
     configuration, etc. that could be used in various ways.

  DoS Potential:  During formation of a WTP-AC association, there are
     several opportunities for Denial of Service (DoS), beyond those
     inherently available to an inline adversary.  For example, the
     adversary could flood the AC with connection setup requests.  Or,
     it could respond to the WTP with invalid connection setup
     responses, causing a connection reset.  An adversary with MitM
     capability could delete critical session establishment packets.

  Misdirection:  An adversary might mislead either the WTP or AC by
     modifying the association request(s) or response(s) in flight.  In
     this way, the AC and/or WTP will have an inaccurate view of the
     other's capabilities, and this might cause a change in the way
     they interact.

  Some of these types of exposure are extremely difficult to prevent.
  However, there are things we can do to mitigate the effects, as we
  will see below.

8.2.  The Connected Phase

  Once the WTP and AC have established an association, the adversary's
  attention will turn to the network connection.  If we assume a
  passive adversary, the primary concern for established connections is
  eavesdropping.  If we assume an active adversary, there are several
  other potential areas of exposure:





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  Connection Hijacking:  An adversary may assume the identity of one
     end of the connection and take over the conversation.  There are
     numerous ways in which the true owner of the identity may be taken
     off-line, including DoS or MitM attacks.

  Eavesdropping:  An adversary may glean useful information from
     knowledge of the contents of CAPWAP control and/or data traffic.

  Modification of User Data:  An adversary with MitM capabilities could
     modify, delete, or insert user data frames.

  Modification of Control/Monitoring Messages:  An adversary with MitM
     capability could modify control traffic such as statistics, status
     information, etc. to create a false impression at the recipient.

  Modification/Control of Configuration:  An adversary with MitM
     capability could modify configuration messages to create
     unexpected conditions at the recipient.  Likewise, if a WTP is
     redirected during Discovery (or joining) and connects to an
     adversary rather than an authorized AC, the adversary may exert
     complete control over the WTPs configuration, including
     potentially loading tainted WTP firmware.

9.  Adversary Goals in CAPWAP

  This section gives an sampling of potential adversary goals.  It is
  not exhaustive, and makes no judgment as to the relative likelihood
  or value of each individual goal.  Rather, it is meant to give some
  idea of what is possible.  It is important to remember that clever
  attacks often result when seemingly innocuous flaws or
  vulnerabilities are combined in some non-intuitive way.  Hence, we
  don't rule out some goal that, taken alone, might not seem to make
  sense from an adversarial perspective.

9.1.  Eavesdrop on AC-WTP Traffic

  There are numerous reasons why an adversary might want to eavesdrop
  on AC-WTP traffic.  For example, it allows for reconnaissance,
  providing answers to the following questions:

  o  Where are the ACs?

  o  Where are the WTPs?

  o  Who owns them?

  o  Who manufactured them?




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  o  What version of firmware do they run?

  o  What cryptographic capabilities do they have?

  Similarly, snooping on tunneled data traffic might potentially reveal
  a great deal about the network, including answers to the following:

  o  Who's using the WLAN?

  o  When, and for how long?

  o  What addresses are they using?

  o  What protocols are they using?

  o  What over-the-air security are they using?

  o  Who/What are they talking to?

  Additionally, access to tunneled user data could allow the attacker
  to see confidential information being exchanged by applications
  (e.g., financial transactions).  An eavesdropper may gain access to
  valuable information that either provides the basis for another
  perhaps more sophisticated attack, or which has its own intrinsic
  value.

9.2.  WTP Impersonation and/or Rootkit Installation

  An adversary might want to impersonate or control an authorized WTP
  for many reasons, some of which we might realistically imagine today,
  and perhaps others about which we have no clue at this point.
  Examples we might reasonably imagine include the following:

  o  to facilitate MitM attacks against WLAN users

  o  to leak/inject or otherwise compromise WLAN data

  o  to give an inaccurate view of the state of the WLAN

  o  to gain access to a trusted channel to an AC, through which
     various protocol attacks might be launched (e.g., hijack client
     sessions from other WTPs)

  o  to facilitate Denial-of-Service attacks against WLAN users or the
     network






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9.3.  AC Impersonation and/or Rootkit Installation

  For reasons similar to the WTP impersonation discussed above, an
  adversary might want to impersonate an authorized AC for many
  reasons.  Examples we might reasonably imagine include the following:

  o  to facilitate DoS attacks against WLANs

  o  to facilitate MitM attacks against WLAN users

  o  to intercept user mobility context from another AC (possibly
     including security-sensitive information such as cryptographic
     keys)

  o  to facilitate selective control of one or more WTPs

     *  modify WTP configuration

     *  load tainted firmware onto WTP

  o  to assist in controlling which AC associates with which WTP

  o  to facilitate IEEE 802.11 association of unauthorized WLAN user(s)

  o  to exploit inter-AC trust in order facilitate attacks on other ACs

  In general, AC impersonation opens the door to a large measure of
  control over the WLAN, and could be used as the foundation to many
  other attacks.

9.4.  Other Goals or Sub-Goals

  There are many less concrete goals an adversary might have which,
  taken alone, might not seem to have any purpose, but when combined
  with other goals/attacks, might have very definite and undesirable
  consequences.  Here are some examples:

  o  cause CAPWAP de-association of WTP/AC

  o  cause IEEE 802.11 de-association of authorized user

  o  inject/modify/delete tunneled IEEE 802.11 user traffic

     *  to interact with a specific application

     *  to launch various attacks on WLAN user systems





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     *  to launch protocol fuzzing or other attacks on the AC that
        bridges between IEEE 802.11 and 802.3 frame formats

  o  control DNS responses

  o  control DHCP/BOOTP responses

  Anticipating all of the things an adversary might want to do is a
  daunting task.  Part of the difficulty stems from the fact that we
  are analyzing CAPWAP in a very general sense, rather than in a
  specific deployment scenario with specific assets and very specific
  adversary goals.  However, we have no choice but to take this
  approach if we are to provide reasonably good security across the
  board.

10.  Countermeasures and Their Effects

  In the previous sections, we described numerous vulnerabilities that
  result from splitting the AP function in two, and also discussed a
  number of adversary goals that could be realized by exploiting one or
  more of those vulnerabilities.  In this section, we describe
  countermeasures we can apply to mitigate the risks that come with the
  introduction of CAPWAP into WLAN deployment scenarios.

10.1.  Communications Security Elements

10.1.1.  Mutual Authentication

  Mutual authentication consists in each side proving its identity to
  the other.  There are numerous authentication protocols that
  accomplish this, typically using either a shared secret (e.g., a pre-
  shared key) or by relying on a trusted third party (e.g., with
  digital credentials such as X.509 certificates).

  Strong mutual authentication accomplishes the following:

  o  helps prevent AC/WTP impersonation

  o  helps prevent MitM attacks

  o  can be used to limit DoS attacks.

10.1.1.1.  Authorization

  While authentication consists in proving the identity of an entity,
  authorization consists in determining whether that entity should have
  access to some resource.  The current IEEE 802.11i CAPWAP protocol
  binding takes a rather simplistic approach to authorization,



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  depending on the authentication method chosen.  If pre-shared keys
  are used, authorization is broad and coarse: if the device knows the
  pre-shared key, the device is "trusted", meaning the that it is
  believed to be what it claims to be ( AC versus WTP), and it is
  granted all privilege/access associated with that device class.

  When using pre-shared keys, some granularity may be achieved by
  creating classes, each with their own pre-shared key, but this still
  has drawbacks.  For example, while possession of the key may suffice
  to identify the device as a member of a given group or class, it
  cannot be used to prove a device is either a WTP or an AC.  This
  means the key can be abused, and those possessing the key can claim
  to be either type of device.

  When X.509v3 certificates are used for authentication, much more
  granular authorization policies are possible.  Nonetheless, the
  current IEEE 802.11i protocol binding remains simplistic in its
  approach (though this may be addressed in future revisions).  As
  currently defined, the X.509v3 certificates facilitate the following
  authorization checks:

  o  CommonName (CN): the CN contains the MAC address of the device; if
     the relying party (AC or WTP) has a method for determining
     "acceptability" of a given MAC address, this helps prevent AC/WTP
     impersonation, MitM attacks, and may help in limiting DoS attacks

  o  Extended Key Usage (EKU) key purpose ID bits: CAPWAP uses specific
     key purpose ID bits (see [RFC5415] for more information) to
     explicitly differentiate between an AC and a WTP.  If use of these
     bits is strictly enforced, this segregates devices into AC versus
     WTP classes, and assists in preventing AC/WTP impersonation, MitM
     attacks, and may also help in limiting DoS attacks.  However, if
     the id-kp-anyExtendedKeyUsage keyPurposeID is supported, this
     mechanism may be on a par with pre-shared keys, as a rogue device
     has the ability to claim it is either a WTP or AC, unless CN-based
     access controls are employed in tandem.

  It should be noted that certificate-based authorization and zero
  configuration are not fully compatible.  Even if the WTPs and the ACs
  are shipped with manufacturer-provided certificates, the WTPs need a
  way to identify the correct AC is in this deployment (as opposed to
  other ACs from the same vendor, purchased and controlled by an
  adversary), and the AC needs to know which WTPs are part of this
  deployment (as opposed to WTPs purchased and controlled by an
  adversary).






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  The threat analysis in this document assumes that WTPs can identify
  the correct AC, and the AC can identify the correct WTPs.  Analysis
  of situations where either of these do not hold is beyond the scope
  of this document.

10.1.2.  Data Origin Authentication

  Data origin authentication typically depends on first authenticating
  the party at the other end of the channel, and then binding the
  identity derived from that authentication process to the data origin
  authentication process.  Data origin authentication primarily
  prevents an attacker from injecting data into the communication
  channel and pretending it was originated by a valid endpoint.  This
  mitigates risk by preventing the following:

  o  packet injection

  o  connection hijacking

  o  modification of control and/or user data

  o  impersonation

10.1.3.  Data Integrity Verification

  Data integrity verification provides assurance that data has not been
  altered in transit, and is another link in the trust chain beginning
  from mutual authentication, extending to data origin authentication,
  and ending with integrity verification.  This prevents the adversary
  from undetectably modifying otherwise valid data while in transit.
  It effectively prevents reflection and modification, and in some
  cases may help to prevent re-ordering.

10.1.4.  Anti-Replay

  Anti-replay is somewhat self-explanatory: it prevents replay of valid
  packets at a later time, or to a different recipient.  It may also
  prevent limited re-ordering of packets.  It is typically accomplished
  by assigning monotonically increasing sequence numbers to packets.

10.1.5.  Confidentiality

  Data confidentiality prevents eavesdropping by protecting data as it
  passes over the network.  This is typically accomplished using
  encryption.






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10.2.  Putting the Elements Together

  Above we described various security elements and their properties.
  Below, we discuss combinations of these elements in terms of CAPWAP.

10.2.1.  Control Channel Security

  The CAPWAP control channel is used for forming an association between
  a WTP and AC, and subsequently it allows the AC to provision and
  monitor the WTP.  This channel is critical for the control,
  management, and monitoring of the WLAN, and thus requires all of the
  security elements described above.  With these elements in place, we
  can effectively create a secure channel that mitigates almost all of
  the vulnerabilities described above.

10.2.2.  Data Channel Security

  The CAPWAP data channel contains some IEEE 802.11 management traffic
  including association/disassociation, reassociation, and
  deauthentication.  It also may contain potentially sensitive user
  data.  If we assume that threats to this channel exist (i.e., it
  traverses potentially hostile hops), then providing strong mutual
  authentication coupled with data origin/integrity verification would
  prevent an adversary from injecting and/or modifying transit data, or
  impersonating a valid AC or WTP.  Adding confidentiality would
  prevent eavesdropping.

11.  Countermeasures Provided by DTLS

  Datagram TLS (DTLS) is the currently proposed security solution for
  CAPWAP.  DTLS supports the following security functionality:

  o  Mutual Authentication (pre-shared secrets or X.509 Certificates)

  o  Mutual Authorization (pre-shared secrets or X.509 Certificates)

  o  Data Origin Authentication

  o  Data Integrity Verification

  o  Anti-replay

  o  Confidentiality (supports strong cryptographic algorithms)

  Using DTLS for both the control and data channels mitigates nearly
  all risks resulting from splitting the AP function in two.





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12.  Issues Not Addressed By DTLS

  Unfortunately, DTLS does not solve all of our CAPWAP security
  concerns.  There are some things it just cannot prevent.  These are
  enumerated below.

12.1.  DoS Attacks

  Even with the security provided by DTLS, CAPWAP is still susceptible
  to various types of DoS attack:

  o  Session Initialization: an adversary could initiate thousands of
     DTLS handshakes simultaneously in order to exhaust memory
     resources on the AC; DTLS provides a mitigation tool via the
     HelloVerifyRequest, which ensures that the initiator can receive
     packets at the claimed source address prior to allocating
     resources.  However, this would not thwart a botnet-style attack.

  o  Cryptographic DoS: an adversary could flood either the AC or WTP
     with properly formed DTLS records containing garbage, causing the
     recipient to waste compute cycles decrypting and authenticating
     the traffic.

  o  Session interference: a MitM could either drop important session
     establishment packets or inject bogus connection resets during
     session establishment phase.  It could also interfere with other
     traffic in an established session.

  These attacks can be mitigated through various mechanisms, but not
  entirely avoided.  For example, session initialization can be rate-
  limited, and in case of resource exhaustion, some number of
  incompletely initialized sessions could be discarded.  Also, such
  events should be strictly audited.

  Likewise, cryptographic DoS attacks are detectable if appropriate
  auditing and monitoring controls are implemented.  When detected,
  these events should (at minimum) trigger an alert.  Additional
  mitigation might be realized by randomly discarding packets.

  Session interference is probably the most difficult of DoS attacks.
  It is very difficult to detect in real-time, although it may be
  detected if exceeding a lost packet threshold triggers an alert.
  However, this depends on the MitM not being in a position to delete
  the alert before it reaches its appropriate destination.







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12.2.  Passive Monitoring (Sniffing)

  CAPWAP protocol security cannot prevent (or detect) passive
  monitoring.  The best we can do is provide a confidentiality
  mechanism.

12.3.  Traffic Analysis

  DTLS provides no defense for traffic analysis.  If this is a concern,
  there are traffic generation and padding techniques designed to
  mitigate this threat, but none of these are currently specified for
  CAPWAP.

12.4.  Active MitM Interference

  This was discussed in more limited scope in the section above on DoS
  attacks.  An active MitM can delete or re-order packets in a manner
  that is very difficult to detect, and there is little the CAPWAP
  protocol can do in such cases.  If packet loss is reported upon
  exceeding some threshold, then perhaps detection might be possible,
  but this is not guaranteed.

12.5.  Other Active Attacks

  In addition to the issues raised above, there are other active
  attacks that can be mounted if the adversary has access to the wired
  medium.  For example, the adversary may be able to impersonate a DNS
  or DHCP server, or to poison either a DNS or ARP cache.  Such attacks
  are beyond the scope of CAPWAP, and point to an underlying LAN
  security problem.

13.  Security Considerations

  This document outlines a threat analysis for CAPWAP in the context of
  IEEE 802.11 deployments, and as such, no additional CAPWAP-related
  security considerations are described here.  However, in some cases
  additional management channels (e.g., Simple Network Management
  Protocol (SNMP)) may be introduced into CAPWAP deployments.  Whenever
  this occurs, related security considerations MUST be described in
  detail in those documents.

14.  Acknowledgements

  The authors gratefully acknowledge the reviews and helpful comments
  of Dan Romascanu, Joe Salowey, Sam Hartman, Mahalingham Mani, and
  Pasi Eronen.





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15.  References

15.1.  Normative References

  [80211I]    "IEEE Std 802.11i: WLAN Specification for Enhanced
              Security", April 2004.

  [80211SEC]  Edney, J. and W. Arbaugh, "Real 802.11 Security - Wi-Fi
              protected Access and 802.11i", 2004.

  [8021X]     "IEEE Std 802.1X-2004: Port-based Network Access
              Control", December 2004.

  [RFC2119]   Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.

  [RFC4118]   Yang, L., Zerfos, P., and E. Sadot, "Architecture
              Taxonomy for Control and Provisioning of Wireless Access
              Points (CAPWAP)", RFC 4118, June 2005.

  [RFC5415]   Calhoun, P., Ed., Montemurro, M., Ed., and D. Stanley,
              Ed., "Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points
              (CAPWAP) Protocol Specification", RFC 5415, March 2009.

  [RFC5416]   Calhoun, P., Ed., Montemurro, M., Ed., and D. Stanley,
              Ed., "Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points
              (CAPWAP) Protocol Binding for IEEE 802.11", RFC 5416,
              March 2009.

15.2.  Informative References

  [RFC3579]   Aboba, B. and P. Calhoun, "RADIUS (Remote Authentication
              Dial In User Service) Support For Extensible
              Authentication Protocol (EAP)", RFC 3579, September 2003.

  [RFC3748]   Aboba, B., Blunk, L., Vollbrecht, J., Carlson, J., and H.
              Levkowetz, "Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP)",
              RFC 3748, June 2004.

  [RFC4072]   Eronen, P., Hiller, T., and G. Zorn, "Diameter Extensible
              Authentication Protocol (EAP) Application", RFC 4072,
              August 2005.

  [RFC4962]   Housley, R. and B. Aboba, "Guidance for Authentication,
              Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) Key Management",
              BCP 132, RFC 4962, July 2007.





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  [WEPSEC]    Petroni, N. and W. Arbaugh, "The Dangers of Mitigating
              Security Design Flaws: A Wireless Case Study",
              January 2003.

Authors' Addresses

  Scott G. Kelly
  Aruba Networks
  1322 Crossman Ave
  Sunnyvale, CA  94089
  US

  EMail: [email protected]


  T. Charles Clancy
  DoD Laboratory for Telecommunications Sciences
  8080 Greenmead Drive
  College Park, MD  20740
  US

  EMail: [email protected]





























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