IEEE approves 802.11i security spec

[Steve]

I have just posted this on the main page, and wondered what you guys think?

Over at infoSync World you can find an article on the new 802.11i standard approved by the IEEE.

Wi-Fi technology, including 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11g transmission standards, has long been criticized for its lack of decent security and privacy. The first attempt at a security system for Wi-Fi was Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), which was based on a very simple private key system that served as little more than a speed bump for malicious users. Subsequent systems have tried to tighten security, but so far none have faced widespread adoption. 802.11i is expected to be certified as Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) compliant.

If you ask me, this isn't something to shout about a great deal. Many companies have already adoped Wi-Fi and - as far as I can see - this new standard can't be implemented on existing hardware. This is because:

The new specification works by using AES encryption in the transceiver itself, encrypting data directly at the level just above the actual radio pulses themselves.

So, if you've already got Wi-Fi, you're stuck until you upgrade your hardware.

I'll be getting a lappy at the end of this year, so maybe it'll support it?

[Apex]

One of the reasons i not gone wireless just yet is cos of security