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WEP uses mainly two types of authentication: Open System Authentication and Shared Key Authentication.

For the Open System Authentication, effectively no authentication occurs. The user rather provides WEP keys to encrypt data frames

For the Shared Key Authentication, the following steps are followed for authentication:

• The client sends an authentication request to Access Point.
• The Access Point responds with a cleartext challenge.
• The client encrypts the challenge text with WEP keys and sends it back.
• The Access Point decrypts the response, and on successful verification, authentication happens.

It may seem that the Shared Key Authentication is a better option as the Open System Authentication effectively offers no authentication. But, rather the opposite is true. In the case of the Shared Key Authentication, challenge frames can be captured at the time of authentication. And from that, the keystream can be derived. So, it is advisable to opt for the Open System Authentication.

How secure is WEP?

WEP is proved to be a weak algorithm. Despite using the increased key size and revised algorithms, several security flaws were found in WEP. WEP is highly vulnerable, and it is strongly advised to upgrade systems to WPA or WPA2 for security.

What are WPA and WPA2?

WPA and WPA2 stand for Wi-Fi Protected Access and Wi-Fi Protected Access II. These are two security protocols developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Wi-Fi Alliance is a non-profit organization that promotes Wi-Fi technology and certifies Wi-Fi products after they conform to certain interoperability standards. WPA and WPA2 were defined in response to security vulnerabilities found in WPA and WPA2.

WEP uses fixed WEP keys. A user enters the key at the Access Point to encrypt the data packets. However, WPA uses Temporal Key Integrity Protocol or TKIP for encryption. It dynamically generates a 128-bit key for each packet. The key keeps changing for each packet. As a result, WPA does not have the security vulnerability that WEP previously had.

WEP uses CRC or Cyclic Redundancy Check to ensure data integrity. But, the problem with CRC is it fails to provide sufficient data integrity guarantee. In WPA, CRC is replaced with a message integrity check algorithm called Michael. Michael is cryptographically a much stronger algorithm than CRC, though not as strong as the algorithm used in WPA2.

WPA2 is designed to replace WPA. WPA2 includes an AES-based encryption mode with strong security. WPA2 can provide even stronger security than WPA.

WEP vs. WPA vs. WPA2: The difference between WEP, WPA, and WPA2 in terms of security

As we discussed, WPA and WPA2 are designed in response to the security vulnerabilities found in WEP. So, both of them are more secure than WEP. In fact, the use of WEP is deprecated, and all devices should be upgraded from using WEP.

If we compare WPA and WPA2, WPA2 ensures better security than WPA.

So, in short, among WEP, WPA, and WPA2, WPA2 is the most secure. The use of WEP is deprecated. And one should always go for WPA/WPA2.

I hope this helps. Interested readers who want to know more about how different malware and cyberattacks work and how we can prevent them may want to refer to the book “A Guide To Cyber Security.”

Security Fundamentals Practice Tests

The Security Fundamentals Practice Tests test one’s fundamental knowledge of cyber security. The practice tests are good for those who are preparing for various certification exams like the CCNA, CCNP, or CompTIA. They are also good for students and IT/security professionals who want to improve their understanding of cybersecurity.