Wireless Security

Question 1

What is WEP?

Answer 1

WEP encrypts traffic using a 64- or 128-bit key in hexadecimal. This is a static key, which means all traffic, regardless of device, is encrypted using a single key. A WEP key allows computers on a network to exchange encoded messages while hiding the messages’ contents from intruders. This key is what is used to connect to a wireless-security-enabled network.

Question 2

What is WPA?

Answer 2

WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) is a wireless security protocol released in 2003 to address the growing vulnerabilities of its predecessor, WEP. The WPA Wi-Fi protocol is more secure than WEP, because it uses a 256-bit key for encryption, which is a major upgrade from the 64-bit and 128-bit keys used by the WEP system.