The act of collecting data on unsecured or poorly secured WLANs while driving. Depending on the mode of transportation, this can also be known as war walking, war flying, and so on. The intent of war driving is to identify potential security weaknesses and make public the information or access the network for hacking or "free" Internet services.
war walking
Conceptually identical to war driving, but carried out on foot.
WECA
Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance. The former name of the Wi-Fi Alliance.
WEP
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol. An encryption standard that defines mechanisms for data transmitted in WLANs. WEP is based on an RC4 algorithm and originally used 40-bit keys but was later enhanced to support 128-bit keys. Subsequently, proprietary 256-bit implementations were introduced by many equipment manufacturers.
Wi-Fi
Wireless Fidelity. Wi-Fi is a brand name created by the Wi-Fi Alliance (formerly WECA Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance) to describe interoperable and standards-based 802.11 wireless networks and to promote the use and public adoption of wireless networks. WLAN products that are Wi-Fi certified are interoperable and compliant with the latest standards set down by the Wi-Fi Alliance. The Wi-Fi Alliance has instituted a test suite that defines how member products are tested to certify that they are interoperable with other Wi-Fi certified products. These tests are conducted at an independent laboratory.
Wi-Fi Alliance
The Wi-Fi Alliance is a global, cross-industry organization created in 1999 to promote interoperability, certify products as compliant with the latest standards, and ensure independent testing. Note that the Wi-Fi Alliance does not define standards but simply adopts them as part of the Wi-Fi certification.
Wi-Max
Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. Wi-Max is an 802.16 standards-based technology to provide broadband wireless "last mile" connectivity. As a wide-area technology, Wi-MAX (and all 802.16 standards) lies outside the scope of this book.
WLAN
Wireless LAN. A wireless network where clients and access points communicate, most commonly using standard IEEE-defined communication protocols, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, or 802.11g.
WPA
Wi-Fi Protected Access. WPA is a standards-based, interoperable security enhancement that provides significantly improved levels of data protection and access control for WLAN systems, compared to WEP. WPA introduces several new enhancements, including TKIP, MIC, and Key Management.
WPA2
Wi-Fi Protected Access 2. WPA2 is the Wi-Fi Alliance's marketing term for 802.11i. As such, its capabilities are the same. See also 802.11i.
