WAP vs. WEP Prof. Carlos Rodríguez Sánchez

WAP WAP Wireless Application Protocol a secure specification that allows users to access information instantly via handheld wireless devices such as mobile phones, pagers, two-way radios, smartphones and communicators. WAP supports most wireless networks. These include CDPD, CDMA, GSM, PDC, PHS, TDMA, FLEX, ReFLEX, iDEN, TETRA, DECT, DataTAC, and Mobitex. WAP is supported by all operating systems. Ones specifically engineered for handheld devices include PalmOS, EPOC, Windows CE, FLEXOS, OS/9, and JavaOS.

WAP microbrowsers WAPs that use displays and access the Internet run what are called microbrowsers --browsers with small file sizes that can accommodate the low memory constraints of handheld devices and the low-bandwidth constraints of a wireless-handheld network. Although WAP supports HTML and XML, the WML language (an XML application) is specifically devised for small screens and one-hand navigation without a keyboard. WML is scalable from two-line text displays up through graphic screens found on items such as smart phones and communicators. WAP also supports WML Script. It is similar to JavaScript, but makes minimal demands on memory and CPU power because it does not contain many of the unnecessary functions found in other scripting languages. Because WAP is fairly new, it is not a formal standard yet. It is still an initiative that was started by Unwired Planet, Motorola, Nokia, and Ericsson.

WEP WEP Wired Equivalent Privacy Short for Wired Equivalent Privacy, a security protocol for wireless local area networks (WLANs) defined in the b standard. WEP is designed to provide the same level of security as that of a wired LAN. LANs are inherently more secure than WLANs because LANs are somewhat protected by the physicalities of their structure, having some or all part of the network inside a building that can be protected from unauthorized access. WLANs, which are over radio waves, do not have the same physical structure and therefore are more vulnerable to tampering. WEP aims to provide security by encrypting data over radio waves so that it is protected as it is transmitted from one end point to another. However, it has been found that WEP is not as secure as once believed. WEP is used at the two lowest layers of the OSI model - the data link and physical layers; it therefore does not offer end-to-end security.

WPA WPA - Wi-Fi Protected Access Short for Wi-Fi Protected Access, a Wi-Fi standard that was designed to improve upon the security features of WEP. The technology is designed to work with existing Wi-Fi products that have been enabled with WEP (i.e., as a software upgrade to existing hardware). Includes two improvements over WEP: temporal key integrity protocol Improved data encryption through the temporal key integrity protocol (TKIP). TKIP scrambles the keys using a hashing algorithm and, by adding an integrity-checking feature, ensures that the keys havent been tampered with. User authentication, which is generally missing in WEP, through the extensible authentication protocol (EAP). WEP regulates access to a wireless network based on a computers hardware- specific MAC address, which is relatively simple to be sniffed out and stolen. EAP is built on a more secure public-key encryption system to ensure that only authorized network users can access the network. It should be noted that WPA is an interim standard that will be replaced with the IEEEs i standard upon its completion.

The Differences Between WEP and WPA WPA has been a mainstream technology for years now, but WEP remains a standard feature on virtually every wireless router on store shelves today. When using a wireless access point or router it is important to remember that if you can send information from one device and receive it at another, anyone else within range might also be able to receive it. When protecting data send via wireless, security and protection is offered through encryption schemes that come with your wireless hardware you can enable.

The Differences Between WEP and WPA WEP is part of the IEEE wireless networking standard and was designed to provide the same level of security as that of a wired LAN. Because wireless networks broadcast messages using radio, they are susceptible to eavesdropping. WEP provides security by encrypting data over radio waves so that it is protected as it is transmitted from one end point to another. WEP was the encryption scheme considered to be the initial standard for first generation wireless networking devices. However, it has been found that WEP is not as secure as once believed. WEP is used at the two lowest layers of the OSI model - the data link and physical layers; it therefore does not offer end-to-end security. WEP's major weakness is its use of static encryption keys. When you set up a router with a WEP encryption key, that one key is used by every device on your network to encrypt every packet that's transmitted. But the fact that packets are encrypted doesn't prevent them from being intercepted, and due to some esoteric technical flaws it's entirely possible for an eavesdropper to intercept enough WEP-encrypted packets to eventually deduce what the key is.

The Differences Between WEP and WPA Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) Address WEP's Shortcomings WPA aims to provide stronger wireless data encryption than WEP, but not everyone has or was able to jump onboard with the new wireless encryption technology. In order to use WPA all devices on the network must be configured for WPA. If a device is not configured for WPA, it will usually fall back to the lesser WEP encryption scheme, enabling the wireless devices to communicate on the network. The technology was designed to work with existing Wi-Fi products that have been enabled with WEP (i.e., as a software upgrade to existing hardware), but the technology includes two improvements over WEP: Improved data encryption through the temporal key integrity protocol (TKIP). TKIP scrambles the keys using a hashing algorithm and, by adding an integrity-checking feature, ensures that the keys haven't been tampered with. User authentication, which is generally missing in WEP, through the extensible authentication protocol (EAP). WEP regulates access to a wireless network based on a computer's hardware-specific MAC address, which is relatively simple to be sniffed out and stolen. EAP is built on a more secure public-key encryption system to ensure that only authorized network users can access the network.

WPA2 - Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 The follow on security method to WPA for wireless networks that provides stronger data protection and network access control. It provides enterprise and consumer Wi-Fi users with a high level of assurance that only authorized users can access their wireless networks. Based on the IEEE i standard, WPA2 provides government grade security by implementing the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) FIPS compliant AES encryption algorithm and 802.1x-based authentication. [Adapted from Wi-Fi.org]

WPA2 - Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 There are two versions of WPA2: WPA2-Personal, and WPA2- Enterprise. WPA2-Personal protects unauthorized network access by utilizing a set-up password. WPA2-Enterprise verifies network users through a server. WPA2 is backward compatible with WPA.

WAP WEP WPA b i