Comparing Wireless Encryption Protocols – WEP, TKIP, and Alternatives for Organizational Security

Comparing Wireless Encryption Protocols – WEP, TKIP, and Alternatives for Organizational Security

Wireless encryption is a crucial factor when it comes to the safety of data transmitted through wireless networks. The three main security standards that have been widely used are Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP), and the latest technology known as Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA2). Each has advantages and disadvantages, which may meet an organization’s needs.

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)

WEP was the initial known encryption standard that could be utilized in wireless networks. It employs a static key in encryption, and this may lead to various attacks. The major advantage of WEP lies in its simplicity and ease of application, and for this reason, the protocol experienced a surge in popularity when it was new. Nevertheless, WEP is not without serious vulnerabilities in terms of security. The static key can be decrypted easily using current computing technology; hence, the network is vulnerable to invasion by malicious parties (Forouzan, 2017).

Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP)

Proposed as an enhancement to the WPA standard, TKIP was designed to resolve the issues with WEP that were present while not needing new hardware. TKIP creates a new key for each packet that is transmitted, and therefore, it is more secure compared to WEP technology. While the use of TKIP has increased security, it has its shortcomings, mainly in brute-force and man-in-the-middle attacks (Gast, 2013). Its security enhancements over WEP were considerable during its inception; however, they are not regarded as sufficiently secure today.

Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2)

WPA2, which implements AES encryption, is by far the most secure and widely recommended for use. AES provides significant security, and WPA2 comprises more security measures like the CCM—Counter Mode Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code Protocol. The strengths of WPA2 include better key encoding, better authentication methods, and broad device compatibility. However, WPA2 has known shortcomings; hackers have found ways, such as the KRACK attack, to exploit WPA2, although these issues can be solved with updates (Forouzan, 2017).

Recommendation

WPA2 stands as the most preferred encryption protocol by most organizations because of its security robustness coupled with efficiency. AES encryption, along with CCMP, makes it highly secure against today’s common attacks. Further, almost all new wireless hardware comes pinned with it. Some of the elements that would cause a change in this recommendation include the security needs of the organization, the type of devices in use, and the compliance standards the business has to adhere to. For instance, an organization that transmits highly sensitive information may see WPA3 as even more secure than the previous standards, has enhanced security measures such as better encryption, and is immune from brute force attacks.

References

Forouzan, B. A. (2017). Cryptography & network security. McGraw-Hill, Inc.

Gast, M. (2013). 802.11 wireless networks: The definitive guide. “O’Reilly Media, Inc.”

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Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

Compare WEP, TKIP, and other alternative wireless encryption protocols. What are the strengths and weaknesses of these encryption methods?

Which encryption protocol would you recommend to an organization? What factors might change your recommendation? Be specific in your response.