Teletronics EZ Bridge 802.11G - Manual (Page 25)

25
•
Open - Open system authentication involves a two-step authentication
transaction sequence. The first step in the sequence is the identity
assertion and request for authentication. The second step in the
sequence is the authentication result. If it is “successful”, The station
shall be mutually authenticated.
Open system authentication does not provide authentication. It provides
identification using the wireless adapter's MAC address. Open system
authentication is used when no authentication is required. It is the default
authentication algorithm.
Open system authentication uses the following process:
1. The authentication-initiating wireless client sends an IEEE 802.11
authentication management frame that contains its identity.
2. The receiving wireless AP checks the initiating station's identity and
sends back an authentication verification frame.
With some wireless APs, you can configure the MAC addresses of allowed
wireless clients. However, configuring the MAC address does not provide
sufficient security because the MAC address of a wireless client can be
spoofed.
•
Shared Key - Shared key authentication supports authentication of
stations as either a member of those who know a shared secret key or
a member of those who do not.
Shared key authentication is not secure and is not recommended for use. It
verifies that an authentication-initiating station has knowledge of a shared
secret. This is similar to preshared key authentication for Internet Protocol
security (IPSec). The 802.11 standard currently assumes that the shared
secret is delivered to the participating wireless clients by means of a more
secure channel that is independent of IEEE 802.11. In practice, a user
manually types this secret for the wireless AP and the wireless client.
Shared key authentication uses the following process:
1. The authentication-initiating wireless client sends a frame consisting of
an identity assertion and a request for authentication.
2. The authenticating wireless node responds to the authentication-
initiating wireless node with challenge text.