Security options for wireless include authentication and encryption services based on the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) security services used to protect wireless networks from unauthorized access, such as eavesdropping. With automatic wireless network configuration, you can specify that a network key be used to verify access to the network. You can also specify that a network key be used to encrypt your data as it is transmitted over the network. The wireless network adapter in your computer might support the Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) security protocol. WPA provides stronger encryption than WEP. With WPA, the network keys on networked computers and devices are automatically changed and then authenticated regularly, which provides greater security than WEP. Wireless networks use three methods to secure access to the network itself and secure the data that is being transferred. These methods are SSID, MAC filtering, WEP.

• SSID: Configuring a unique SSID name is the very least that you should do to secure a wireless network. The default SSID name are well known and widely available online. This is intended to make setting up a wireless network as easy as possible. Each wireless network node and access point needs to be configured with the same SSID name. This SSID name is then added in the header of every data packet broadcast in the wireless network coverage area. The data packets which has incorrect header name are rejected.

• MAC filtering: MAC filtering is a handy way of creating a type of "accepted users" list to limit access to your wireless network. MAC addresses are permitted to participate in the wireless network. Any data packets that don't contain the MAC address of the node listed in the table are rejected.

• WEP: Enabling WEP ensures that data is secured whi~ transit over the airwaves. Basically, it is used encry process and WEP encryption uses a standard 4 encryption to scramble data packets. 1 04-bit and 128i encryption can also be used. WEP provides a level authentication based on the wireless nodes MAC addresl It does not support complete end to end encryption. work on two lowest oSI network layers (data link Iaj! and physical layer).

• WPA: It is act as a security protocol and addresses t!I weakness of WEP It offers the security enhancemem such as an encryption key integrity-checking. MAt addresses are fairly easy to sniff out , since they are transmitted in unencrypted ,clear-text format. Usernarre and password are encrypted and therefore much more secure.