Once more I sat at the control console and went through the D-Link wireless access point’s forms to enable WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption. I knew it wasn't exactly the best encryption on the planet, but it was better than nothing at all, and the network I was working with didn't handle much sensitive information anyway.

I entered the key in hex and clicked the submit button. Next, I went to a laptop computer that already had 802.11g built in. Until I'd enabled encryption on the access point, everything had been (in technical terms) hunky-dory. Now, of course, the access point couldn't be reached.

So I went through the configuration for the 802.11g hardware (designed for the laptop by Hewlett-Packard), entered the same hex key as I'd entered into the access point, and confirmed that the rest of the settings were correct.

Again I submitted the changes. And again the laptop wouldn't communicate with the access point.

[ Read more ]

Comment:

For all your wireless security information needs, visit the Wireless outside articles section of HNS.

Related items

• Review: Deploying License-Free Wireless Wide-Area Networks (14 May 2003)
• Article: Positive Identification in a Wireless World (6 May 2003)
• Article: Warchalking and Other Wireless Worries (3 April 2003)
• Article: How to Make Wireless Networks Secure (26 March 2003)
• Article: Interview with Cyrus Peikari, CEO of AirScanner Mobile Security (24 February 2003)
• Review: Maximum Wireless Security (17 February 2003)
• Article: Detecting Wireless LAN MAC Address Spoofing (22 January 2003)
• Article: Avoid Wireless LAN Security Pitfalls (17 January 2003)
• Article: Interview with Jay Chaudhry, CEO of AirDefense (7 January 2003)
• Review: Wireless Security and Privacy: Best Practices and Design Techniques (17 December 2002)