Wireless Security Assessment Techniques

SNL Information System Architectures is recruiting for positions in Cyber Security and plans to interview the day following this talk. Candidates must be US citizens and have a minimum 3.7 GPA.
Wireless communications systems and networks have become an accepted means of connecting information and control system assets. Because many critical assets are now connected to networks via wireless means, testing the security of such wireless systems and networks has become a fundamental step in audits, assessments, and red teaming exercises. This talk discusses the role of wireless connectivity in a variety of assessment types, enumerates a variety of challenges faced in assessing the security of wireless systems and networks, and provides insight into the basic gear and tools required in assessing 802.11a/b/g/n wireless networks.
William D. Atkins joined Sandia National Laboratories as an intern in 2005 and later as a Member of Technical Staff in 2007. He works in Sandia's Critical Infrastructure Systems Department, where he conducts research and red teaming exercises to secure critical information and control systems against cyber attack. Atkins received both Masters and Bachelors of Science degrees in Computer Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla, now the Missouri University of Science and Technology, in 2007 and 2005, respectively. His interests include wireless networks and communications, control systems protocols, embedded systems design, and reverse engineering.