Introduction to Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems

The IDS (Intrusion Detection System) is a common means of protecting networked systems from attack or malicious misuse. The development and rollout of an IDS can take many different forms in terms of equipment, protocols, connectivity, cost and automation. This is particularly true of WIDS (Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems) which have many more opportunities and challenges associated with data transmission through an open, shared medium.
The operation of a WIDS is a multistep process from origination of an attack through to human readable evaluation. Attention to the performance of each of the processes in the chain from attack detection to evaluation is imperative if an optimum solution is to be sought. At present, research focuses very much on each discrete aspect of a WIDS with little consideration to the operation of the whole system. Taking a holistic view of the technology shows the interconnectivity and inter-dependence between stages, leading to improvements and novel research areas for investigation.
This chapter will outline the general structure of Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems and briefly describe the functions of each development stage, categorised into the following 6 areas:
• Threat Identification,
• Architecture,
• Data Collection,
• Intrusion Detection,
• Alert Correlation,
• Evaluation.
These topics will be considered in broad terms designed for those new to the area. Focus will be placed on ensuring the readers are aware of the impact of choices made at early stages in WIDS development on future stages.

Explaining effervescence:: Shared social identity and positive experience in crowds

We develop and test a dual pathway model of effervescence - the intensely positive experience of being in a crowd. The model proposes that positive feelings arise when those attending a mass event see each other as sharing a common social identity. This sense of shared identity predicts (a) crowd participants’ ability to enact their valued collective identity, and (b) the intimacy of social relations between crowd members. In turn, both of these are theorized to predict crowd members’ positivity of experience. These ideas are tested using survey data from pilgrims (n = 416) attending the Magh Mela - a month-long Hindu pilgrimage festival in north India. The findings provide clear support for the model.