WEP 101 with HP 420 AP

[Ya_know]

I'm using a HP 420 Wireless AP right now, having some problems with setting up multiple WEP's, wanted to see if it's just me not knowing what I am doing or what...

If I keep one WEP, use the Key index of 1, I'm alright, the devices connect...get IP, everything's cool, but only for the first WEP. If I enter more then one WEP in the provided 4 columns, then set the Key index to 2, 3, or 4, none of my WEPs work to give connection to the laptops. But if I go back to 1 on the Key index, it's fine with the first WEP only, but none of the rest.

WTFM???

Someone want to school me on what's the purpose of having 4 WEP Keys if you can't use any of them? My intention is to have one private WEP, that only I know, and setup all of the company laptops with it. Then have a public key that only I know, but if someone comes in and wants to get on the network I can let them on, and then at the end of the day reset only the public WEP, keeping the private WEP intact and in production. Can this be done?

[Ya_know]

Thank you all for your helpful responses...

[CeeBee]

...captive portal & WPA for wireless...

[Richard1]

The WEP settings must be the same on each client in your wireless network.

To set this click on the Security tab and the Security Suite button then select the wizard option "Static WEP". You have to select the key length to be used. I recommend 128. Then for the Key Index, select one key to be used to encrypt the data from the AP. Then select the Key Type, either Hex or Ascii. I use Hex. Then enter one or more keys conforming to the length and type that you just selected, finally Click Apply Changes and you should be set.

Hope it helps, if not, HP offers pretty good tech support. I also recommend that you check out the WifiPlanet Forums for more information.

[CeeBee]

You have to select the key length to be used. I recommend 128.

Why? 128bit isn't really that much more secure, it takes under 5 minutes to crack... the WEP key is more like a protection against accidental access

[Ya_know]

Why? 128bit isn't really that much more secure, it takes under 5 minutes to crack... the WEP key is more like a protection against accidental access

How do you know it only takes 5 minutes to crack? I'm being told by an HP technical rep for the Procurve switches that although WEP is less secure, it still takes quite some effort to crack it, and in a low traffic wireless environment, quite some time…days to weeks.

With this 420 I'm using now I actually found that the WAP-PSK TKIP, which incidentally was what the HP rep recommended I use, the bandwidth and range is dismal compared to WEP. My concern is this, just exactly how do people crack a WEP, is it from funneling in the encrypted packets floating around, and eventually devising the key by dissecting many of them? And just what does it take to pull that off?

Richard, I'm not looking to learn hacking, more so, how to defend against one. Because with the bandwidth restraint the TKIP encryption is putting on my environment, I have to seriously weigh in performance vs. security right now...


BTW, thanks for revisiting this CeeBee...

[CeeBee]

At a recent ISSA (Information Systems Security Association) meeting in Los Angeles, a team of FBI agents demonstrated current WEP-cracking techniques and broke a 128 bit WEP key in about three minutes

Whole story here: http://www.tomsnetworking.com/Sections-article111.php

Now seriously, look into a captive portal app, it is very easy to install and configure and you end up with user-level access control. I have been using m0n0wall for some time and I am very happy with it.

[Ya_know]

CeeBee, I didn't get a chance to thank you for following up with that article. It was helpful to see it, and also helped me to make and justify some security desisions.

Thank you!

[CeeBee]

You're welcome!