WPA2
As you might deduce from its name, WPA2 is the second and latest version of WPA.
The most important difference between the two is the method of encryption. WPA uses
RC4, whereas WPA2 uses AES. Not only is the AES encryption method much stronger,
it is also a requirement for some government and industry users.
WPA2 is backward compatible with WPA, and many WPA-certified products can be
upgraded with software to WPA2. However, some products might require hardware
upgrades. WPA was designed to be a software upgrade to WEP. However, WPA2 didn’t
have such a design goal. As such, in many cases a hardware upgrade will be necessary
to update to WPA2.
Other Resources 79
Encryption
Scrambling a WLAN’s data as it leaves the AP, and then unscrambling it when it arrives
at the client, requires an encryption method. The popular RC4 has already been
discussed, but sturdier, stronger encryption methods are out there and in use in WLAN
systems, as described next.