Ethereal-dev: Re: [Ethereal-dev] 802.11 dissector enhancements

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From: Solomon Peachy <solomon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 11:37:25 -0400
On Wed, Jun 12, 2002 at 12:28:30AM -0700, Guy Harris wrote:
> I haven't looked at 802.11 section 8 in great detail; it refers to a
> "shared secret key" - would all stations whose packets appear in a
> capture use the same key for all frames?  (I infer, perhaps incorrectly,
> from "shared secret key" that all stations in the same IBSS share a
> single key; I don't know how that'd apply to an ESS.)

All stations (and/or APs) in a given BSSID share a set of keys.  

You could concievably have multiple BSSes on the same channel, each with
their own set of keys.

The way I wrote the WEP logic in the dissector allows you to specify an
arbitrarily long list of keys.  If the one specified in the 802.11 WEP
header (eg key #2) doesn't match the key we have in that slot, we iterate
through our list of keys until we find a match (or we run out of keys)

> If so, then one way to implement the list of keys would be as a
> preference item; however, that would mean that the keys would be stored
> in your preference file, which might not be considered a Good Idea.

It needs to be semi-permenant.  After all, joe random management type will
need the wep keys to surf for pr0n in the office restroom anyway, and the
theory is that this ethereal installation is on an admin's machine --  
someone who will have the keys anyway.

Anyhow.  I'll start hacking the keys into the preference system then.

 - Pizza
-- 
Solomon Peachy                        solomon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
AbsoluteValue Systems                 http://www.linux-wlan.com
715-D North Drive                     +1 (321) 259-0737  (office)
Melbourne, FL 32934                   +1 (321) 259-0286  (fax)

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