Security blog part three.
Last time we talked about some of the features of wireless security that are considered quite unsecure and pretty complicated for most people! This time we’re going to talk about WEP and WPA type of security.
These types of security are probably a lot more familiar to people, as they use the sort of security most people are used to and expecting, being a password. They’re sometimes called slightly different things, such as a WEP key, network key, or pre shared key, but they all perform the same action. Simply put, your wireless router has a password stored inside it, and won’t allow anyone to connect to the network unless they supply an exact match to that password. WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy, and WPA stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access.
WEP comes in two flavours, notably 64 bit and 128 bit. The “bits” describe the key length. If you use WEP 64 (pretty much referred to as the lowest and least secure type, due to length) the password either has to be 5 ASCII characters, or 10 Hex characters. Don’t worry, it’s not that complicated! ASCII simply refers to the entire alphabet and numbers, so a to z and 0 to 9. It’s case sensitive too. Hex refers to hexadecimal, which means 0 to 9 and A to F. With WEP 128, you have to use a 13 character ASCII password, or 26 Hex. Obviously this is quite restrictive and can be complex to remember. Also, WEP has been “broken”, as referenced here on the BBC site - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7052223.stm - but you shouldn’t necessarily be too worried about that if you have to use it – more on that later.
WPA is, as you may have guessed, more secure and flexible. You can have a password of anything between 8 and 63 ASCII characters, for example. One thing to note is possible compatibility issues. Older devices (referring to either computers or wireless hardware like dongles and routers) may not be compatible with the latest types of security (WPA and its successor, WPA 2), so you may be forced into using a variant of WEP. Generally the less secure, the more compatible. Sometimes you can get around this with a software update from the manufacturer of your device/operating system however.
As long as your system has some type of security like this, it’s very unlikely anyone in the surrounding area will be able to get into your network. Remember, most home users don’t have the type of specialist knowledge, equipment, or willingness to break the law just to use your internet for a bit! Even saying this though, its very good practise and highly recommended that you use the highest type of security available to you, that all your devices support, as there’s always a chance that someone parked outside your house with a laptop is trying to get into your network, or you just so happen to live next door to a mischievous youngster!
