Brocade Mobility RFS Controller System Reference Guide (Supporting software release 5.5.0.0 and later) - Manual (Page 283)

Brocade Mobility RFS Controller System Reference Guide 271
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• Brocade recommends additional layers of security (beyond WEP) be enabled to minimize the
likelihood of data loss and security breaches. WEP enabled WLANs should be mapped to an
isolated VLAN with firewall policies restricting access to hosts and suspicious network
applications.
• WEP enabled WLANs should only be permitted access to resources required by legacy devices.
• If WEP support is needed for WLAN legacy device support, 802.1X EAP authentication should
be also configured in order for the WLAN to provide authentication and dynamic key derivation
and rotation.
WEP 128
Configuring WLAN Security
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is a security protocol specified in the IEEE Wireless Fidelity (Wi -Fi)
standard. WEP is designed to provide a WLAN with a level of security and privacy comparable to
that of a wired LAN.
WEP can be used with open, shared, MAC and 802.1 X EAP authentications. WEP is optimal for
WLANs supporting legacy deployments when also used with 802.1X EAP authentication to provide
user and device authentication and dynamic WEP key derivation and periodic key rotation. 802.1X
provides authentication for devices and also reduces the risk of a single WEP key being
deciphered. If 802.1X support is not available on the legacy device, MAC authentication should be
enabled to provide device level authentication.
WEP 128 uses a 104 bit key which is concatenated with a 24-bit initialization vector (IV) to form the
RC4 traffic key. WEP may be all a small-business user needs for the simple encryption of wireless
data. However, networks that require more security are at risk from a WEP flaw. WEP is only
recommended if there are client devices incapable of using higher forms of security. The existing
802.11 standard alone offers administrators no effective method to update keys.
WEP 128 provides a more robust encryption algorithm than WEP 64 by requiring a longer key
length and pass key. Thus, making it harder to hack through the replication of WEP keys.
To configure WEP 128 encryption on a WLAN:
1. Select Configuration > Wireless > Wireless LAN Policy to display available WLANs.
2. Select the Add button to create an additional WLAN or select Edit to modify the properties of an
existing WLAN.
3. Select Security.
4. Select the WEP 128 check box from within the Select Encryption field.
The screen populates with the parameters required to define a WEP 128 configuration for
the WLAN.