The world is going wireless and starting from our homes, so are we. If you look around, you have at least one wireless device…it could be your laptop or smartphone. You may be accessing the web using your home Wi-Fi router, but the threat of a security breach never goes away. Our previously published complete guide to securing your home wireless network has taken a look at the basics and some essential security steps to protect your network.
If you read a little more about wireless security, two basic terms come up – WEP and WPA. Essentially, both are encryption protocols implemented by router firmware to protect and secure your wireless transmission. Wireless transmissions are done using radio waves and that makes them vulnerable to deliberate attacks. (Courteous image – cristiano)
WEP – Weak Link
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy or Wireless Encryption Protocol) is a password-protected protocol for securing wireless transmissions over a network. It is often the first choice when setting up basic wireless security. WEP uses an encryption key of 64-bit or 128-bit HEX characters (0-9 and AF) to encrypt any packets transmitted between the router and the Wi-Fi device. For the average person, encryption is secure enough, but someone with a little knowledge of wireless transmission protocols and the right tools can decrypt the encryption key.
The hole in the wall lies in the way WEP encrypts packets with a static encryption key. The key doesn’t change with each packet transmitted, so hackers can listen in and patiently collect enough packets to decrypt the encryption key. WEP has been proven to be easily hacked. “Easy” is a relative word as you need some serious CPU power and specialized tools to compromise WEP encryption. But it can be done.
Most wireless routers and access points today provide an option for a security protocol to be used during setup. Older routers only use WEP, but if you have a newer router choose the more secure WPA standard for peace of mind.
Better choice – WPA
WPA (Wireless Protected Access) is the standard adopted by newer wireless routers and networks to authenticate and secure their networks. WPA addresses the static encryption key vulnerability by using a more advanced protocol (TKIP – Transient Key Integrity Protocol) that changes the encryption key with every transmitted packet. WPA uses an English passphrase (between 8 and 63 characters) and the wireless network’s Service Set Identifier (the name assigned to the wireless access point) to generate a unique encryption key for each packet.
WEP is definitely better than no security, but if possible, update your wireless network with WPA and make sure all devices are configured to do so.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
