Wired Equivalent Privacy

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is an obsolete security algorithm for 802.11 wireless networks. It was introduced as part of the original IEEE 802.11 standard ratified in 1997. The intention was to provide a level of security and privacy comparable to that of a traditional wired network. WEP, recognizable by its key of 10 or 26 hexadecimal digits, was at one time widely used, and was often the first security choice presented to users by router configuration tools. After a severe design flaw in the algorithm was disclosed in 2001, WEP was no longer considered a secure method of wireless connection; however, in the vast majority of cases, Wi-Fi hardware devices relying on WEP security could not be upgraded to secure operation. Some of WEP's design flaws were addressed in WEP2, but it also proved insecure, and never saw wide adoption or standardization.