Purpose
The intent is to compare and evaluate a range of wireless encryption technologies, including WEP, WPA and WPA2. The technology for wireless encryption is adapting in order to maintain a secure focus on the threats posed to wireless connectivity.
Scope of Work
The discussion will address the history and security vulnerabilities of WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption, along with details of how the encryption works and what was done initially to attempt to improve it. Next, the discussion will compare the details of WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) encryption and explain how the new standard addresses the vulnerabilities of WEP. Finally, the improvements and introduction of WPA2 will be included to bring the evolution of wireless attack prevention to current standards.
Attack Prevention- WEP vs. WPA/WPA2
Although wireless LAN (local area network) systems are relatively new, their popularity has risen substantially in recent years. This is due in part to the ease of installation for wireless systems and the rising popularity of laptop computers. Wireless access is now offered in many public areas like cafes and coffee shops and even some communities. Laptop computers offer remarkable mobility and productivity which is appealing to end users, but the wireless capability has its’ risks. The wireless signal is being broadcast over a large area and that signal can be picked up by any systems within range unless it’s properly protected. This makes wireless systems much more vulnerable to eavesdropping than wired systems.
WEP Encryption
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption was released in the1990’s to provide wireless system security that was equivalent to its’ wired system counterparts, hence the name Wired Equivalent Privacy. WEP is an encryption algorithm that was developed by a group of volunteers for people using 802.11 wireless networks. The intention was to develop a system to protect wireless networks from message tampering (data...