WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) is a security protocol for wireless networks that was introduced in 1997. WEP was designed to provide privacy and security for wireless networks that was equivalent to that of a wired network. WEP uses a shared key encryption method to encrypt data that is transmitted over the wireless network.
However, WEP is now considered to be insecure and vulnerable to attacks because of several weaknesses in its design. For example, WEP uses a static key that is easily cracked by attackers who can intercept wireless network traffic. Also, WEP’s key size is only 64-bit or 128-bit, which is not enough to provide adequate security against modern hacking techniques.
As a result, WEP has been deprecated and should not be used to secure wireless networks. Instead, newer and more secure protocols like WPA and WPA2 should be used.
WPA-PSK (TKIP):
WPA-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key) with TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) is a security protocol for wireless networks that was introduced in 2003 as a replacement for the insecure WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) protocol. WPA-PSK with TKIP was designed to provide stronger encryption and better security for wireless networks.
WPA-PSK with TKIP uses a passphrase or pre-shared key (PSK) to authenticate wireless devices and encrypt data that is transmitted over the network. TKIP is used to dynamically generate new encryption keys for each data packet that is transmitted over the network. This makes it much more difficult for attackers to decrypt wireless network traffic.
However, WPA-PSK with TKIP is still vulnerable to some attacks, such as brute force attacks on the passphrase, and attacks that exploit flaws in TKIP’s design. Therefore, it is recommended to use WPA2-PSK with AES encryption instead, as it provides even stronger security for wireless networks.
WPA2-PSK (AES):
WPA2-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 Pre-Shared Key) with AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is a security protocol for wireless networks that was introduced in 2004. WPA2-PSK with AES is the most secure wireless security protocol available today.
WPA2-PSK with AES uses a passphrase or pre-shared key (PSK) to authenticate wireless devices and encrypt data that is transmitted over the network. AES encryption is used to protect the wireless network traffic. AES is a strong encryption algorithm that is difficult to crack, and it provides a high level of security for wireless networks.
WPA2-PSK with AES is considered to be very secure and is the recommended security protocol for wireless networks. However, it is important to choose a strong passphrase or pre-shared key to ensure that the wireless network remains secure. A strong passphrase should be long, complex, and difficult to guess or crack.
Difference between WEP, WPA-PSK(TKIP), WPA2-PSK (AES):
| Security Protocol | Encryption Algorithm | Key Size | Authentication Method | Security Features |
| WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) | RC4 | 64-bit or 128-bit | Shared Key Authentication | Vulnerable to attacks, weak encryption, easily cracked keys |
| WPA-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access Pre-Shared Key) with TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) | RC4 and TKIP | 128-bit | Pre-Shared Key Authentication | Stronger encryption than WEP, dynamically generated encryption keys, more secure authentication method |
| WPA2-PSK (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 Pre-Shared Key) with AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) | AES | 128-bit or 256-bit | Pre-Shared Key Authentication | Strongest encryption of the three, uses AES encryption which is difficult to crack, most secure authentication method |