Obsolete WEP Wi-Fi gets new security shield
Wi-Fi security vendors are releasing new products to protect customers against weaknesses in the WEP encryption scheme, even though it has been obsolete for years. AirTight Networks has launched a system that detects and prevents attacks on wireless networks secured by the WEP protocol, which are still in widespread use in retail systems, even though the protocol was cracked in 2001, and swiftly replaced by WPA. In April, security experts showed how to crack WEP in three seconds..
"We are typically talking about handheld devices used in retail for inventory management, known as 'hand guns'," said Sri Sundaralingam, director of technical marketing at AirTight. "There are hundreds, if not thousands of these devices that retailers still have, as well as legacy cash registers and VoIP phones that only support WEP."
