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Security Fundamentals & Crypto · Foundational

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)

Original, broken 802.11 encryption protocol using RC4 with a 24-bit IV.

Definition

WEP's short IV, weak key scheduling, and CRC-32 integrity check allow attackers to recover keys in minutes. It was superseded by WPA in 2003 and deprecated in 2004. Any device still using WEP should be replaced or isolated.

Example

aircrack-ng recovers a WEP key after collecting enough IVs from network traffic.

Exam tip

WEP = RC4 + 24-bit IV + CRC-32 = insecure.

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