Tagged Questions

15
votes
6answers
851 views

Why isn't open WiFi encrypted?

As far as I understand, WiFi networks that require no password send traffic through the air unencrypted. Those that require a password encrypt each connection uniquely, even if they're all using the ...
0
votes
3answers
232 views

Is it possible to change the wifi password with a script?

I was wondering if it is possible to change the password for a wifi with a script instead of having to log-in to the routers firmware?
3
votes
3answers
289 views

What are the security implications of phone based keyless entry systems?

I have just been reading about Lockitron which promises to provide phone based keyless entry for the home. As great an idea as this sounds it strikes me that it could come along with some very serious ...
2
votes
1answer
435 views

Should we block all plaintext authentication and require authentication over an encrypted channel?

Should we configure our servers to require the authentication happen over an encrypted channel and block all methods of unencrypted, plaintext authentication over? I recently configured my servers to ...
2
votes
1answer
1k views

Why it does not matter whether you type HEX or ASCII as WEP WiFi password?

I know that I can pass password in HEX as a keyphrase to WiFi network using WEP encryption as well as ASCII. But somehow you cannot get the ASCII when you only know HEX value. Can anyone explain the ...
1
vote
2answers
4k views

Four-way Handshake in WPA-Personal (WPA-PSK)

Can someone explain to me in what consists the Four-way Handshake in WPA-Personal (WPA with Pre-Shared Key), which informations are being sent between AP and client, how is it possible to find the AP ...
9
votes
4answers
387 views

How should I tell an organisation that they are vulnerable when I wasn't given permission to check?

I was recently at a village hall (in the UK), some distance from where I live, for a party. I noticed that they had unsecured wi-fi with an SSID of NETGEAR. I assumed it was free wi-fi for users of ...
4
votes
6answers
4k views

Recommend Length for Wi-FI PSK?

I currently have a network set up with WPA2 and AES encryption, the password is 8 characters long but was randomly generated and contains no dictionary words. However I'm concerned about the ...
2
votes
1answer
1k views

How can I decrypt traffic on a WEP encrypted network?

Let's say that I am connected to a WEP Access Point and I want to sniff all wireless traffic inside that network. How can I decrypt the traffic even though I don't have the cryptographic key? I found ...
1
vote
1answer
212 views

How can wireless router password encrypts data using WEP and WPA

How does the password that we enter (to connect to a wireless network) encrypt the data on the wireless network? Through my reading I am not sure if the password that we enter is the same as the ...
4
votes
5answers
3k views

Is a longer WiFi password more secure?

Today I had to type the same password to connect to a WPA2-secured WiFi network several times, and got really annoyed with the length of the password. Especially since it is just a phrase repeated ...
4
votes
1answer
550 views

Is a public known password protected Wifi more secure than one without a password?

When connecting to a public Wifi from a café for example, some don't use a password and some do. If they do use a password it is often publicly known to everybody around. Does having a password on ...
3
votes
2answers
641 views

How is WEP/WPA2 key derived?

When I was a kid, WEP had a 40 bit key. Later, they came out with a 128-bit key. But as we all know, WEP was so badly-designed that the RC4 key length didn't really matter much. Ignoring this, my ...
5
votes
2answers
3k views

Is it possible to speed up WPA/WPA2-PSK cracking using a rogue AP?

We know that WPA/WPA2-PSK uses a PTK (Pairwise Transient Key) for each client to encrypt the communication. This PTK is generated through the process known as 4-way handshake. As told in the related ...
2
votes
1answer
12k views

How long to brute-force WPA password?

Bob has a password (for his WPA encrypted wifi) which is 8 characters, all lowercase, and not a dictionary word. Eve lives next door to Bob and wants to illegally hack his WPA. The number of ...
6
votes
2answers
1k views

Dictionary Attack on Wifi

I know a few people with pretty weak passwords. What kind of systems exist to prevent dictionary attacks? Would it make sense to restrict the number of connection attempts in a certain timeframe? ...
15
votes
5answers
2k views

Security impact of using a public password for free WiFi

We have a WiFi network that we want to be public and free. Does having a password that is known to everyone provide any additional security advantage to the people using this network as opposed to ...