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Contents
1 Key length 3
1.1 Explain clearly what a key length is? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2 What standard key lengths are used in WEP? . . . . . . . . . 3
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1 Key length
1.1 Explain clearly what a key length is?
For a wireless network to be secure, we need to encrypt or decrypt the data
being sent or received. When describing the strength of encryption, key
length is referred to as the number of bits that need to be configured when
decrypting or encrypting data. The best way to think about it is like the key
to enter your house. If the notches are not aligned correctly the door will
not open, in this case the data can not be decrypted. Furthermore the more
notches the key has the harder it is for the lock to be picked. This is also
true for encryption, the longer the key, that is the more bits (notches) the
key has the harder it is to break the code (pick the lock). So key length can
be thought of as encryption strength.
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3 The Initialization Vector (IV)
3.1 Explain what the Initialization Vector is?
A sequence of random bytes (binary vector) used as a key to transform
plaintext into ciphertext (encrypted message via a mathematical function
known as the cryptographic algorithm).
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5 Extensible Authentication Protocol
5.1 Explain how some vendors are using vendor-specific
extensions to mechanisms like Extensible Authen-
tication Protocol (EAP) to regain some degree of
privacy in their wireless network solutions
Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) uses an authentication process
between a client, known as the “supplicant” (an Ethernet or wireless NIC)
and a “authenticator” (an Ethernet switch or a wireless access point) via a
authentication server. The “authenticator” acts as a boundary between the
protected and unprotected parts of the network and the authentication server
approves and disapproves access into the protected parts of the network.
802.1X products use the EAP process, however still use WEP for en-
cryption, so it still has the problem of weak keys. However 802.1X allows
administrators to setup systems to change the keys every hour, every minute
or when ever they like which adds some degree of privacy to the wireless
network. The IEEE 802.11i, which is near completion, uses 802.1X as its
basic building block however is intended to solve the two primary security
problems with WEP: weak encryption and static keys. It will also leave the
choice of EAP authentication type to the implementer.
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a hacker would have access to all datagrams going through there NIC, so this
would never be as secure as a wired network since a host in a wired network
only sees datagrams for there NIC.
References
[1] Phil Belanger Aironet Wireless Communications
http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/11/Tutorial/MAC.pdf, IEEE