EAPeak Tests Wireless Networks For Authentication Weaknesses

A free new tool from security vendor SecureState may make it possible for wireless network administrators and security consultants to verify how strong their wireless authentication is and whether it is possible for attackers to easily penetrate their networks. EAPeak is a simple Python toolkit that will monitor access attempts to a wireless network and track how clients are attempting to authenticate.

Rather than operating as an aggressive penetration testing tool meant to exploit weaknesses, EAPeak simply watches the network passively and gathers information on the clients logging into the network (including user names and identity strings that are sent in the clear) and what type of authentication is used. The idea behind the tool is that, by knowing how the wireless network authenticates, it can provide information on network security and how it could potentially be subverted.

The main focus of EAPeak is the Extensible Authentication Protocol used for authentication by modern wireless networks and devices. There are multiple types of EAP that can be supported by devices, including EAP-TTLS, EAP-TLS, PEAP and LEAP, and depending on the devices connecting to the network, wireless access points can choose to authenticate a client using a number of different versions of EAP.

According to SecureState Profiling Consultant and EAPeak lead developer Spencer McIntyre, the company recognized a need for this type of tool for security personnel and network administrators: "There aren't a lot of tools out there that are focusing on this specific type of wireless network authentication. This is necessary because, when penetration testers are looking at wireless networks, the attacks that are available to them vary greatly based on what types of authentications are used."

This release of EAPeak is free and can be downloaded from the SecureState website. McIntyre says EAPeak is simply the first in a series of new tools in this area, and he expects future tools to include more active penetration and injection capabilities.

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