Discussion

Paper 7-1:  802.11 is a broad category for communication.  The wireless standards change rapidly, so it is no surprise that WEP was replaced long ago with WPA, which has been replaced with WPA2, etc.  What most people don’t know is that almost as soon as a new protocol is adopted, it is able to be cracked.  This document explains how to crack the various encryption methods used by wireless LANs.  Post an analysis of the article in 600 words or less. Make sure to explore what you think to be the most effective vector for attack, and what users or professionals can do to help prevent security breaches.

Paper 7-2:  This paper looks more in-depth on how professional hackers might use a commercial FPGA to expedite their password cracking for a WPA-2 network.  Post an analysis of the article in 600 words or less, making sure to thoroughly explore how one might attempt to protect their network from this kind of attack.  It is tough, especially when the hardware can be rather inexpensive and send 50,000-100,000 password combinations per second.