Wireless (Wi-Fi - 802.11) networks using 'Wireless Equivalent Privacy' (WEP) encryption to protect their connections will not be pleased to learn that it has been cracked.. again.

However WEP's shortcomings have become the stuff of legends and we've long since lost track of all the attacks that can be used against it. To quote computer security researcher Ralf-Philipp Weinmann:


The new exploit tricks computers into thinking they're logged on to a trusted Wi-Fi network, which is then exploited to grab lots of data that can ultimately yield your private WEP key.

Naturally the knowledgeable types out there will point to Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and WPA2 as a more modern and much more secure method. Indeed if you have it you should use it.

The only problem with WPA is compatibility with older hardware; many such devices were created in the pre-WPA era. Due to this some developers still ship devices that use WEP by default (e.g. BT Home Hub's) for reasons of compatibility.