Encryption with WEP is achieved through a secret key combined with an initialization vector, using the RC4 encryption algorithm to encrypt data packets. However, due to several security issues, WEP is no longer commonly used.
How is Encryption Accomplished with Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)?
Encryption with Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is performed using a secret key combined with the initialization vector (IV). Each data packet that is transmitted is encrypted using the RC4 encryption algorithm, which requires the secret key and the IV. This ensures that anyone intercepting the wireless communication without the key cannot easily read the data. Unfortunately, WEP has been found to have many security vulnerabilities, leading to its decline in use.
The process starts when a data packet is ready to be sent over the network. A unique IV is selected for each packet and is appended to the secret key to form the input for the RC4 algorithm. The RC4 cipher generates a stream of pseudo-random bits ('keystream') which is XORed (exclusive OR) with the plaintext to produce the ciphertext. This ciphertext is then transmitted. Upon receiving the data, the authorized receiver—who has the same secret key—applies the same RC4 keystream to decrypt the ciphertext and recover the original plaintext.