Open System Authentication (Compact 2013)
3/26/2014
When no authentication is required between a wireless client and an access point (AP), open system authentication provides identification of the client by using the wireless adapter's media access control (MAC) address. Open system authentication does not provide authentication. It is merely the default algorithm that Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) uses when authentication is not required.
Open System Authentication
Open system authentication uses the following process to identify the client:
- The wireless client that initiates authentication sends an IEEE 802.11 authentication management frame that contains its identity.
- The receiving wireless AP checks the initiating station's identity and sends back an authentication verification frame.
Warning
With some wireless APs, you can configure the MAC addresses of allowed wireless clients. However, configuring the MAC address does not provide sufficient security because the MAC address of a wireless client can be spoofed.