Overview Of Security Features; Static Wep Keys; Dynamic Wep Keys With Eap - Cisco AIR-PCM352 - Aironet 350 Series 11Mbps Wireless LAN PC Card Adapter Installation And Configuration Manual

Chapter 5 Configuring the Client Adapter

Overview of Security Features

When you use your client adapter with Windows CE, you can protect your data as it is transmitted
through your wireless network by encrypting it through the use of wired equivalent privacy (WEP)
encryption keys. With WEP encryption, the transmitting device encrypts each packet with a WEP key,
and the receiving device uses that same key to decrypt each packet.
The WEP keys used to encrypt and decrypt transmitted data can be statically associated with your
adapter or dynamically created as part of the EAP authentication process. The information in the
WEP Keys"
WEP keys you want to use. Dynamic WEP keys with EAP offer a higher degree of security than static
WEP keys.
WEP keys, whether static or dynamic, are either 40 or 128 bits in length. 128-bit WEP keys offer a
greater level of security than 40-bit WEP keys.
Note Refer to the
security features that can make your WEP keys even more secure.

Static WEP Keys

Each device (or profile) within your wireless network can be assigned up to four static WEP keys. If a
device receives a packet that is not encrypted with the appropriate key (as the WEP keys of all devices
that are to communicate with each other must match), the device discards the packet and never delivers
it to the intended receiver.
Static WEP keys are write-only and temporary; however, you do not need to re-enter them each time the
client adapter is inserted or the Windows CE device is reset. This is because the keys are stored (in an
encrypted format for security reasons) in the registry of the Windows CE device. When the driver loads
and reads the client adapter's registry parameters, it also finds the static WEP keys, unencrypts them,
and stores them in volatile memory on the adapter.
The ACU Properties screen enables you to view the current WEP key settings for the client adapter and
then to assign new WEP keys or overwrite existing WEP keys as well as to enable or disable static WEP.
Refer to the

Dynamic WEP Keys with EAP

The new standard for wireless LAN security, as defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE), is called 802.1X for 802.11, or simply 802.1X. An access point that supports 802.1X
and its protocol, Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP), acts as the interface between a wireless
client and an authentication server, such as a Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS)
server, to which the access point communicates over the wired network.
OL-1375-04
and "Dynamic WEP Keys with EAP"
"Additional WEP Key Security Features" section on page 5-15
"Using Static WEP" section on page 5-18
Cisco Aironet 350 Series Wireless LAN Client Adapters Installation and Configuration Guide for Windows CE

Overview of Security Features

sections below can help you to decide which type of
for information on three
for instructions.
"Static
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