Security in the near future – 802.11i

• Potential approval for 802.11i in early 2003

• Replacement for WEP

• Two steps:

• Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) (aka WEP2 or WPA)

  • Still uses RC4 but keys will not be shared between clients.
  • TKIP changes temporal keys every 10,000 packets
  • May only require a firmware upgrade to existing APs.
  • The Wi-Fi Alliance is suggesting TKIP as a stop gap until...

• Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)

  • Designed to replace TKIP
  • Requires a co-processor or built into the radio silicon.
  • APs and clients will need to be replaced.

Notes: