Cracking WPA
With the failure of Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), a stopgap measure was introduced to enhance the security of these wireless networks without requiring a hardware replacement for systems currently using WEP. WPA could be implemented on these networks with a simple software and/or firmware upgrade to the existing infrastructure. WPA2, discussed later in this chapter, requires a hardware component as well. It is possible to run WPA on devices that support WPA2; however, the opposite is not always true.
WPA comes in two flavors, which are:
WPA Personal
WPA Enterprise
WPA Personal
WPA Personal, also called WPA Pre Shared Key (PSK), is the most common authentication method used on wireless networks today. It is the standard for residential implementations and SMBs have also found it easy to implement. The other flavor, known as WPA Enterprise, requires a RADIUS server on the network to authenticate the clients. Residential and small business tend to use WPA PSK, in part because of...