An Idea to Increase the Security of EAP-MD5 Protocol Against Dictionary Attack

Abstract: IEEE 802.1X is an international standard for Port-based Network Access Control which provides authentication for devices applicant of either local network or wireless local network. This standard defines the packing of EAP protocol on IEEE 802. In this standard, authentication protocols become a complementary part of network security. There is a variety in EAP family protocols, regarding their speed and security. One of the fastest of these protocols is EAP-MD5 which is the main subject of this paper. Moreover, in order to improve EAP-MD5 security, a series of attacks against it have been investigated. In this paper at first EAP-MD5 protocol is introduced briefly and a series of the dictionary attacks against it are described. Then, based on observed weaknesses, by proposing an appropriate idea while maintaining the speed of execution, its security against dictionary attack is improved.