Naomi J. Alpern, Robert J. Shimonski, in
Eleventh Hour Network+, 2010 RF poses challenges to privacy in that it travels through and around physical objects. Because of the nature of the 802.11 wireless LANs, the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) working group implemented a mechanism to protect the privacy of the individual transmissions, known as the wired equivalent privacy (WEP) protocol. WEP characteristics: WEP utilizes a shared-key authentication that allows for encryption and decryption of wireless transmissions. Up to four keys can be
defined on an AP or a client, and they can be rotated to add complexity for a higher security standard in the WLAN policy. The driving force behind WEP was privacy. In cases that require high degrees of security, other mechanisms should be utilized such as authentication, access control, password protection, and virtual private networks (VPNs). Despite its flaws, WEP still offers a
better level of security than open wireless connections. Most APs advertise that they support WEP in 64-bit encryption, but often the 128-bit option is also supported. For corporate networks, 128-bit encryption-capable devices should be considered as a minimum. With data security enabled in a closed network, the settings on the client for the SSID and the encryption keys must match the AP when
attempting to associate with the network or it will fail. WEP provides security and privacy in transmissions held between the AP and the clients. Some of the other benefits of implementing WEP include the following: All messages are encrypted using a CRC-32 checksum to provide some degree of integrity. Privacy is maintained through the RC4 encryption. Without possession of the secret
key, the message cannot be decrypted. WEP is extremely easy to implement. All that is required is to set the encryption key on the APs and on each client. WEP provides a basic level of security for WLAN applications. WEP keys are user-definable and unlimited. WEP keys can, and should, be changed often.
Do not confuse WAP and WEP. Although it may seem that WEP is the privacy system for WAP, you should remember that WTLS is the privacy mechanism for WAP and WEP is the privacy mechanism for 802.11 WLANs. Read full chapter URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B978159749428100014X A Brief Overview of the Wireless WorldIn Wireless Hacking, 2004 AuthenticationAuthentication can occur using either “Open System” or “Shared Key” authentication (see Figure 1.4). Null authentication, as its name implies, is a simple two-step process that does not require any credentials to be supplied. The process begins when the client sends an Authentication Request frame to the AP. The AP responds with an Authentication Response frame, indicating either success or failure. Figure 1.4. Open System (Null) Authentication Shared Key authentication (see Figure 1.5) is a four-step process that involves the client's knowledge of the WEP key in order to be authenticated by the access point. The first step is that the client sends an Authentication Request frame to the AP. The AP responds with 128 bytes of challenge text. The client uses the WEP engine to encrypt the 128 bytes of random challenge text and then sends back a Challenge Response frame, containing 128 bytes of (encrypted) cipher text. In order to authenticate the client, the AP decrypts the cipher text and sees if it matches the original challenge text. This process is used to validate whether or not the client actually knows the shared secret of the WEP key. The final step is for the AP to send an Authentication Result frame, indicating success or failure. Figure 1.5. Shared Key Authentication Read full chapter URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781931836371500064 MCSE 70-293: Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Security FrameworkMartin Grasdal, ... Dr.Thomas W. ShinderTechnical Editor, in MCSE (Exam 70-293) Study Guide, 2003 Authentication for Wireless NetworksThere are two authentication methods in the 802.11 standard: open authentication and shared-key authentication. Open authentication is more precisely described as device-oriented authentication and can be considered as a null authentication—all requests are granted. Without WEP, open authentication leaves the WLAN wide open to any client who knows the SSID. With WEP enabled, the WEP secret key becomes the indirect authenticator.
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