All contents copyright (c) 2011 ZyXEL Communications Corporation.
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What is a WEP key?
A WEP key is a user defined string of characters used to encrypt and decrypt data.
A WEP key is a user defined string of characters used to
encrypt and decrypt data?
128-bit WEP will not communicate with 64-bit WEP or 256-bit WEP Although 128 bit
WEP also uses a 24 bit Initialization Vector, but it uses a 104 bit as secret key. Users
need to use the same encryption level in order to make a connection.
Can the SSID be encrypted?
WEP, the encryption standard for 802.11, only encrypts the data packets not the
802.11 management packets and the SSID is in the beacon and probe management
messages. The SSID is not encrypted if WEP is turned on. The SSID goes over the air
in clear text. This makes obtaining the SSID easy by sniffing 802.11 wireless traffic.
By turning off the broadcast of SSID, can someone still
sniff the SSID?
Many APs by default have broadcasting the SSID turned on. Sniffers typically will find
the SSID in the broadcast beacon packets. Turning off the broadcast of SSID in the
beacon message (a common practice) does not prevent getting the SSID; since the
SSID is sent in the clear in the probe message when a client associates to an AP, a
sniffer just has to wait for a valid user to associate to the network to see the SSID.
