What is the difference between wep and wpa2

However, systems that are authorized on the network would be able to recognize and decrypt the data. This is because devices on the network make use of the same encryption algorithm. WEP encrypts traffic using a or 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. However, despite revisions to the protocol and increased key size, various security flaws were discovered in the WEP standard over time.

As computing power increased, it became easier to exploit for criminals to exploit those flaws. It shared similarities with WEP but offered improvements in how it handled security keys and the way users are authorized. This prevents intruders from creating their own encryption key to match the one used by the secure network.

In addition, WPA included message integrity checks to determine if an attacker had captured or altered data packets. A WPA key is a password that you use to connect to a wireless network. You can get the WPA password from whoever runs the network. In some cases, a default WPA passphrase or password may be printed on a wireless router. If you can't determine the password on your router, you may be able to reset it.

However, WPA2 still has drawbacks. KRACK exploits a weakness in WPA2, which allows attackers to pose as a clone network and force the victim to connect to a malicious network instead. This enables the hacker to decrypt a small piece of data that may be aggregated to crack the encryption key. WPA3 introduced new features for both personal and enterprise use, including:. Individualized data encryption : When logging on to a public network, WPA3 signs up a new device through a process other than a shared password.

It became available in , just a year before WEP was deprecated. Said to be the answer to the major vulnerabilities of the WEP standard, WPA includes the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol TKIP to increase cryptographic strength from RC4, and it also includes message integrity checks to determine if packets passed through the network have been altered.

Despite all of the improvements, public demonstrations still show that WPA is vulnerable to intrusion. While it is said to be better than the previous security protocol WEP , WPA was only an intermediate measure while waiting for a more secure and more complex wireless network security, the WPA2.

Certification started in September With these significant changes, cyber-attacks are easier to deflect since attackers need to be inside the Wi-Fi network in order to access other devices in the network. While it does take at least 2 to 14 hours for an attacker to get inside your network system, not to mention the hard work put into it, there is still a major security concern.

One way to counter this vulnerability would be disabling your WPS. It starts when you are sending or receiving data from one end to another through Wi-Fi. The data being transmitted will then be converted into a radio signal. You must understand that these signals can easily be captured with common gadgets, and unless the data is encrypted, it can be read by whoever is eavesdropping on your network.

They encrypt your data to conceal it or protect it from eavesdroppers. You can choose the displayed language by adding a language suffix to the web address so it ends with e. If the web address has no language suffix, the preferred language specified in your web browser's settings is used. The material in this document is available under a free license, see Legal for details. For information on contributing see the Ubuntu Documentation Team wiki page.