| WEP, or Wired Equivalent Privacy, is the name of | | | | thus giving the impression that it will be very |
| the original technology for securing a wireless | | | | difficult for anyone to guess the pass-key. |
| network. The name is at the very best | | | | Technically, this is correct. It would be virtually |
| commendable but at the very least extremely | | | | impossible for someone to 'guess' this key. But as |
| misleading. The technology never came close to | | | | stated, there are software utilities that can 'sniff' |
| the goal of securing wireless networks to a level | | | | the air for wireless signals, analyzed the type of |
| that could be considered 'equivalent' to its | | | | network, intercept the stream of data and |
| hard-wired cousin. | | | | decrypt the pass key without any user |
| WEP is a key-matching encryption protocol that | | | | intervention. |
| uses a pass key for every client that wants | | | | Some say that utilizing WEP with another tool |
| access to the wireless network. This key must | | | | included on my wireless devices such as a MAC |
| be an identical match in order to be granted a | | | | address inclusion/exclusion option will give you the |
| right to use the network resources. If this key | | | | added level of security needed. Again, this is |
| does not exactly match, then the user is simply | | | | another assumption gone wrong. Just like the |
| unable to login to the network. | | | | software tools that will decipher the pass key, |
| The technology itself is not inherently bad. It is | | | | there are utilities that can generate false MAC |
| the way that WEP is implemented. It is fairly easy | | | | addresses to overcome this feature. |
| for someone unauthorized to gain access to the | | | | Should you use WEP? Well, I guess that if you are |
| network by figuring out the network key. Once | | | | choosing using WEP versus absolutely no security, |
| this key is obtained, they can login as any other | | | | it is better than using nothing. And I mean barely |
| person with permission to use the network | | | | better. A good way to think about this is to |
| granting them access to the resources or | | | | compare your home's front entrance. You have a |
| receiving all the information sent across the | | | | choice between nothing at all and the doorway |
| wireless network and even decipher it without | | | | standing wide open - this is your wireless network |
| you knowing that they are there! | | | | with no security protection active. WEP would be |
| Any snoop with a personal computer with | | | | similar to you having a screen door that swings |
| wireless ability can download easy-to-use hacker | | | | closed but has no latch, no lock. Agreed, the |
| tools and utilities that will enable anyone, not just a | | | | doorway is better off now than it was without |
| sophisticated hacker, to gain access to a WEP | | | | anything at all. Maybe critters cannot get in but I |
| protected network. | | | | think you will agree that it is anything but secure. |
| The supposed and assumed strength of WEP is in | | | | And there is a better way = WPA (Wi-Fi |
| the pass key. It can be up to 128-bits in length | | | | Protected Access) discussed in my next article... |