ADAPTIVE DEFENSE FRAMEWORK AGAINST WIRELESS CLIENT MANIPULATION AND ROGUE ACCESS POINTS

Abstract

Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) have become the primary communication platform for enterprises, educational institutions, healthcare systems, industrial automation, and Internet of Things (IoT) applications. However, the increasing deployment of wireless networks has also intensified cybersecurity threats, particularly wireless client manipulation and rogue access point attacks. Malicious access points can impersonate legitimate networks, manipulate client association decisions, intercept confidential information, and launch credential theft, session hijacking, and man-in-the-middle attacks. Existing wireless security mechanisms mainly focus on authentication and encryption after association, providing limited protection during the network discovery and client association stages. This paper proposes an Adaptive Defense Framework (ADF) that integrates wireless client behavior analysis, rogue access point detection, dynamic trust evaluation, vulnerability assessment, and adaptive security policies to strengthen IEEE 802.11 wireless security. The proposed framework continuously monitors wireless environments, evaluates security risks in real time, and dynamically updates defense strategies according to evolving attack conditions. The approach improves attack detection, enhances secure client association, minimizes unauthorized network access, and strengthens the resilience of IEEE 802.11 wireless communication against sophisticated cyber threats. Keywords: IEEE 802.11, Wireless Security, Rogue Access Point, Client Manipulation, Adaptive Defense, Trust Management, WLAN Security, Cybersecurity.