WEP: Wireless Easily Pwned
Posted on November 29, 1999
According to Ars Technica, The Payment Card Industry Standards Council (made up of Visa, American Express, Mastercard, etc) is publishing a new Data Security Standard which forbids the use of WEP (wired equivalent privacy) wireless encryption in newly-installed wireless payment systems after March 31, 2009.
WEP? In 2008? Are you kidding me?
How I wish that were true. As I walk around the city, armed by my WiFi sniffing iPhone, I still see that quite a few networks are using this outdated encryption scheme. It goes without saying that the owners of these networks are putting themselves at risk – either of unauthorized users (who can suck up bandwidth, as well as visit sites that’ll have the Feds and the RIAA knocking down your door), or worse – data theft, as experienced by TJX.
I’m no security expert, but I learned a thing of two from my Computer Security class, at the end of which we had to give a small presentation. It just so happens that I gave mine on this very topic – how to undermine WEP encryption using nothing but a couple of laptops and so rudimentary knowledge of Linux. I based it off this excellent article from Tom’s Guide. Read it, and see just how quickly the dude in the big white van outside your house could be sniffing your data!
I’m going to invoke Uncle Ben here: With great power comes great responsibility. Of course, you should use these powers for good, not evil. And I’m not responsible for what you decide to do with such knowledge. 
» Filed Under Everything and Nothing
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