5. Gaining Access - WEP Cracking

Basics

• WEP means: Wired Equvalent Privacy
• it's an old encryption
• uses an algorythm called RC4
• still used in some networks
• can be cracked easily

How Encryption works

• each Package is encrypted via a unique Keystream
• Random Initialization Vector (IV) is used to generate the Keystreams
• The IV is only 24 bits
• IV + (password) Key = keystream

Because the router already knows the (password) Key WLAN devices just need to send the IV