Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. Although this is another form of basic security that’s really just an add-on to the specifications, WPA or WPA2 Pre-Shared Key (PSK) is a better form of wireless security than any other basic wireless security method mentioned so far. I did say basic.
The PSK verifies users via a password or identifying code (also called a passphrase) on both the client machine and the access point. A client only gains access to the network if its password matches the access point’s password. The PSK also provides keying material that TKIP or AES uses to generate an encryption key for each packet of transmitted data. While more secure than static WEP, PSK still has a lot in common with static WEP in that the PSK is stored on the client station and can be compromised if the client station is lost or stolen even though finding this key isn’t all that easy to do. It’s a definite recommendation to use a strong PSK passphrase that includes a mixture of letters, numbers, and nonalphanumeric characters.
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a standard developed in 2003 by the Wi-Fi Alliance, formerly known as WECA. WPA provides a standard for authentication and encryption of WLANs that’s intended to solve known security problems existing up to and including the year 2003. This takes into account the well-publicized AirSnort and man-in-the-middle WLAN attacks.
WPA is a step toward the IEEE 802.11i standard and uses many of the same components, with the exception of encryption—802.11i uses AES encryption. WPA’s mechanisms are designed to be implementable by current hardware vendors, meaning that users should be able to implement WPA on their systems with only a firmware/software modification.
Note: The IEEE 802.11i standard has been sanctioned by WPA and is termed WPA version 2.
The PSK verifies users via a password or identifying code (also called a passphrase) on both the client machine and the access point. A client only gains access to the network if its password matches the access point’s password. The PSK also provides keying material that TKIP or AES uses to generate an encryption key for each packet of transmitted data. While more secure than static WEP, PSK still has a lot in common with static WEP in that the PSK is stored on the client station and can be compromised if the client station is lost or stolen even though finding this key isn’t all that easy to do. It’s a definite recommendation to use a strong PSK passphrase that includes a mixture of letters, numbers, and nonalphanumeric characters.
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is a standard developed in 2003 by the Wi-Fi Alliance, formerly known as WECA. WPA provides a standard for authentication and encryption of WLANs that’s intended to solve known security problems existing up to and including the year 2003. This takes into account the well-publicized AirSnort and man-in-the-middle WLAN attacks.
WPA is a step toward the IEEE 802.11i standard and uses many of the same components, with the exception of encryption—802.11i uses AES encryption. WPA’s mechanisms are designed to be implementable by current hardware vendors, meaning that users should be able to implement WPA on their systems with only a firmware/software modification.
Note: The IEEE 802.11i standard has been sanctioned by WPA and is termed WPA version 2.
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