WEP shares are a type of wireless network security protocol. You will need to enter a passphrase and provide a key that can be shared between the client and the access point. The access point sends a challenge message and the client must decrypt it. Then, both devices use a pre-shared WEP key to encrypt data frames and authenticate each other.
WEP Open vs WEP Shared
The main difference between WEP Open and WEP Shared is the authentication process. In WEP Open, authentication is not required, and anyone can use the network. In the shared mode, the access point sends a text challenge to the client, which must encrypt the message. Both parties must match the encrypted message with the challenge in order to authenticate.
WEP Open is not required to have credentials to access the network. WEP Open does not consider if the client has the right WEP keys or not. WEP Open doesn’t authenticate but only the clients who have the same key are able to use the network.
When attempting to connect to an access point using WEP Shared the client authenticates. The Access Point then encrypts challenge text with its WEP key. WEP shared requires that the client sends enough challenge frames to match the key.
Comparison Table Between WEP Open and WEP Shared
| Parameters of Comparison | WEP Open | WEP Shared |
| Definition | A default authentication protocol for the security of networks. | WEP Shared is a four-step authentication process for the security of networks. |
| Authentication | Does not perform the authentication process. | Performs the authentication process. |
| Communication | WEP Open provides better communication. | WEP Shared provides less communication as compared to WEP open. |
| Security | WEP Open is more secure as compared to WEP Shared. | WEP Shared is less secured. |
| Use | WEP Open is advised to use more. | WEP Shared is used less. |
What is WEP Open?
WEP stands for Wireless Equivalent Privacy. It is a widely used wireless security protocol. It consists of two forms of authentication: WEP Shared and Open. The latter does not require a client to authenticate with credentials. Instead, the access point sends a challenging message that the client must encrypt. The access point compares the encrypted message to the challenge message. If the messages match, authentication is successful. If the two messages don’t match, the network is insecure.
September 1999 was the release date for WEP’s first version. The security of the first version wasn’t very high. Its export restrictions prevented manufacturers from using stronger encryption, so they limited usability. One year later, those restrictions were lifted and 256-bit WEP was introduced. Both versions offer high levels of security. Nevertheless, if you’re concerned about your data’s security, you might want to avoid wireless networks altogether.
In WEP Open, no authentication credentials are needed to access the access point. This means that any WLAN client can connect and authenticate itself with the access point. This means that it is generally suitable for privacy. However, if you’re concerned about your data being intercepted, we recommend using WEP Shared. This will ensure that only authorized clients can gain access to your network. It can help protect your network from hackers and other potential threats.
What is WEP Shared?
WEP shared is a security measure used to ensure the security of wireless networks. It performs a whole authentication process. It does not let anyone in unless the authentication process is done.
WEP Shared is a four-step process. It requires that both the access point (client) and the client authenticate one another before the network can begin. First, the client sends the authentication request to the access point and the access point immediately sends a clear-text challenge to the client.
The client then encrypts the challenge text compares it with the received encrypted message and sends another authentication request. The access point decrypts it and if the two messages match, the authentication is successful and the access point sends a positive response back. If the two messages do not match, the communication does not proceed. In this case, the access point gets alert and disconnects the connection.
Because of the authentication process, it is believed that WEP Shared is more secure, however, it is a weaker network. The challenge mechanism is easier, it is easy to figure out the WEP Key and so it is not as secure as it sounds to be.
Main Differences Between WEP Open and WEP Shared
- WEP Open doesn’t perform the authentication process while the WEP Shared does.
- In open mode, WEP uses the shared key as a key for authentication. In shared mode, the access points send a clear-text challenge to the client.
- WEP Open is considered to be more secure than WEP Shared.
- WEP Open does not need to provide credentials, while on the other hand, WEP Shared requires a four-step challenge-response handshake.
- The key is harder to decrypt in WEP Open than in WEP Shared.
Conclusion
WEP is a wireless network security method that uses shared key authentication to protect wireless communications. In order to secure these wireless networks, users must have a WEP key. Clients can only get a WEP key from an access point if they have pre-shared it. This security method is less secure than WPA, which uses an entirely different algorithm. It is still considered safe when compared to other standards. WEP has two main versions, open and shared.
WEP Open vs WEP Shared is a comparison of how the security of your wireless network can be improved. For example, the former is more secure than the latter, but there are many similarities between the two protocols. The two types of authentication are based on the same key, which is shared among the clients of the network. The difference between the two lies in the way the keys are used to perform the actual authentication.
References
- https://www.scirp.org/html/2-9702031_61992.htm?pagespeed=noscript
- https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-007-1192-1_9
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/5189832/