Big Booger
August 29th, 2003, 07:21 AM
It's no secret that the biggest challenge for home Wi-Fi users is securing their wireless LAN. In fact, home and soho wireless networks are rarely secured because the average home user finds it too difficult.
Until recently, wired equivalent privacy (WEP) was the premier 128-bit optional encryption standard used to protect a home wireless network. Although wireless routers, access points, and wireless computer adapters for residential use shipped with WEP capabilities, most manufacturers turned WEP off by default. Many home wireless users never bothered to turn it on, so they had no security and no protection from intruders. And those who sorted through the challenges of configuring WEP on home networks often failed to ever change the WEP key. But now there is good news, especially for Microsoft Windows XP users. Prior weaknesses in wireless security and tricky configuration issues for the home user have been eliminated thanks to a new security specification called Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA).
The Full Microsoft WPA Wireless Security Information (http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP/expertzone/columns/bowman/03july28.asp)
Until recently, wired equivalent privacy (WEP) was the premier 128-bit optional encryption standard used to protect a home wireless network. Although wireless routers, access points, and wireless computer adapters for residential use shipped with WEP capabilities, most manufacturers turned WEP off by default. Many home wireless users never bothered to turn it on, so they had no security and no protection from intruders. And those who sorted through the challenges of configuring WEP on home networks often failed to ever change the WEP key. But now there is good news, especially for Microsoft Windows XP users. Prior weaknesses in wireless security and tricky configuration issues for the home user have been eliminated thanks to a new security specification called Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA).
The Full Microsoft WPA Wireless Security Information (http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP/expertzone/columns/bowman/03july28.asp)