(In)Secure Configuration Practices of WPA2 Enterprise Supplicants
This highlights a critical security problem for enterprise networks, as misconfigurations can compromise access to all enterprise services, though it is incremental in documenting widespread existing risks.
The study investigated the configuration practices of WPA2 Enterprise supplicants, finding that users and technicians often misconfigure devices, leading to systematic violations of security requirements and increased vulnerability to credential theft.
WPA2 Enterprise is a fundamental technology for secure communication in enterprise wireless networks. A key requirement of this technology is that WiFi-enabled devices (i.e., supplicants) be correctly configured before connecting to the enterprise wireless network. Supplicants that are not configured correctly may fall prey of attacks aimed at stealing the network credentials very easily. Such credentials have an enormous value because they usually unlock access to all enterprise services. In this work we investigate whether users and technicians are aware of these important and widespread risks. We conducted two extensive analyses: a survey among approximately 1000 users about how they configured their WiFi devices for enterprise network access; and, a review of approximately 310 network configuration guides made available by enterprise network administrators. The results provide strong indications that the key requirement of WPA2 Enterprise is violated systematically and thus can no longer be considered realistic.