Key Management - Nokia A032 User Manual

Encryption

Key management

132
Once a wireless client has been authenticated
and accepted onto the network, any
communications can be encrypted using the
secret key. Since both the wireless client and
the access point have proved to each other that
they have the same secret key, it can be used as
a scrambler and descrambler making it very
hard for unauthorized users to extract anything
useful from intercepted transmissions.
Because secrecy of the key is so important,
careful attention must be paid to the way in
which keys are created, stored and passed to
users. Even the most secure system is worthless
if the secret keys are intercepted.
Key management is a general term for the way
in which you allocate and control key
(password) allocation to users. The Nokia A032
provides two basic approaches for key
management:
• Shared WEP keys – All wireless clients in a
group use the same key
• Personal WEP keys – Each wireless client
has an individual key.
The choice of key management method
depends on your security requirements and
administration methods.
Shared WEP keys
Shared WEP keys are suitable for small
organizations or individual offices. Shared
WEP keys may be referred to as default keys by
other vendors.
Nokia A032 Advanced User Guide