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WEP uses the stream cipher RC4 for confidentiality and the CRC-32 checksum for integrityFor the RTOS by Green Hills Software, see Integrity (operating system . Integrity comprises the personal inner sense of "wholeness" deriving from honesty and consistent uprightness of character. The etymology of the word relates it to the Latin adjective. For RC4, WEP uses two key sizes: 40 bit40-bit encryption is a key size for symmetric encryption representing a low-level of security where the key is forty bits in length (five bytes). Forty bits can represent a total of 240 possible keys. Although this is a large number (about a trillion, and and 104-bit; to each is added a 24-bit initialisation vector (IV) which is transmitted in the clear.
Cam-Winget et al. (2003) surveyed a variety of shortcomings in WEP. Two generic weaknesses were that the use of WEP was optional, resulting in many installations never even activating it, and WEP did not include a key management protocol, relying instead on a single shared key amongst users. More specific attacks have also become evident: in August 20012001 is a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar), and also: The International Year of the Volunteer The United Nations Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations Events January January 1 A black monolith measuring approximately nine feet tall ap, Fluhrer et al. published a cryptanalysis of WEP that exploits the way the RC4 cipher is used, resulting in a passive attack that can recover the RC4 keyA key is a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm. In encryption, a key specifies the particular transformation of plaintext into ciphertext, or vice versa during decryption. Keys are also used in other cryptographic after eavesdropping on the network for a few hours; the attack was soon implemented, and automated tools have since been released. It is possible to perform the attack with a personal computer, off-the-shelf hardware and freely-available software. Cam-Winget et al. write, "Experiments in the field indicate that, with proper equipment, it is practical to eavesdrop on WEP-protected networks from distances of a mile or more from the target."