Security in Wireless Networks

The 802.11 specifications include services for link-level authentication and an optional privacy (i.e., confidentiality) service termed Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). WEP is designed to protect the confidentiality of link layer traffic (i.e., the wireless leg). The security parts of the standard provide no claims about secure integrity assurance, but it does require a frame check sequence (FCS) error control mechanism. Research reports and press accounts have reported serious flaws in the authentication service and the WEP algorithm [BORI01][ARBA01][STUB01][WALK00]. We examine the technology in light of these claims and assess the security of the proposed implementation of wireless LANs.