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WEP

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Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is the RC4-based algorithm specified in the IEEE 802.11 specification. WEP keys are added to the driver through OID_802_11_ADD_WEPor OID_802_11_ADD_KEY. WEP keys are removed through OID_802_11_REMOVE_WEPor OID_802_11_REMOVE_KEY.

The 802.11 specification defines the following key types for WEP:

  • Per-client key
    This key is used for all packets sent by the device, including unicast and multicast/broadcast packets.

    In the 802.11 specification, per-client keys are referred to as key-mapping keys. Per-client keys are key-mapped to the BSSID of the associated access point.

  • Group key
    This key is used for all multicast/broadcast packets received by the device. A group key can also be used to send and receive unicast packets.

    In the 802.11 specification, group keys are referred to as default keys. The device must support a minimum of four group keys.

An 802.11 miniport driver must support 40-bit WEP keys but can support 104-bit keys. If the length of the key exceeds the length supported by the device, then the driver must return NDIS_STATUS_INVALID_DATA in response to a setting of OID_802_11_ADD_WEP or OID_802_11_ADD_KEY.

 

 

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