What is the WEP shared-key authentication algorithm

Question

I'm reading a book named 802.11 Wireless Networks The Definitive Guide(second edition) recently. I find myself unable to understand the algorithm of WEP shared-key authentication.

In the book, chapter 8.3, section "The legacy of shared-key authentication", it says

The third frame is the mobile station's response to the challenge. To prove that it is allowed on the network, the mobile station constructs a management frame with three information elements: the Authentication Algorithm Identifier, a Sequence Number of 3, and the Challenge Text. Before transmitting the frame, the mobile station processes the frame with WEP (BUT HOW???). The header identifying the frame as an authentication frame is preserved, but the information elements are hidden by WEP.

So, I'd like to ask the kind community here.

Here is my example WEP auth session packets captured with Tamosoft Commview for wifi 6.3.

• AP MAC: 000E.2E7C.52A9 (Edimax)
• Wifi client: 0020.4A96.23C7 (Lantronix WiPort)
• WEP key is 437B7A57F6762CC7271EBB16FC

You can find my packet capture here: http://down.nlscan.com/misc/WEP128-shared-key-success-1.ncf

Packet #55,#57,#59,#61 is the WEP authentication packets. #59 is "the third frame".

============================================================================

Packet #55, Direction: Pass-through, Time:16:11:42.634285, Size: 30
Wireless Packet Info
    Signal level: 100%
    Rate:   2.0 Mbps
    Band: 802.11g
    Channel: 11 - 2462 MHz
802.11
    Frame Control: 0x00B0 (176)
        Protocol version: 0
        To DS: 0
        From DS: 0
        More Fragments: 0
        Retry: 0
        Power Management: 0
        More Data: 0
        Protected Frame: 0
        Order: 0
        Type: 0 - Management
        Subtype: 11 - Authentication
    Duration: 0x0102 (258)
    Destination Address: 00:0E:2E:7C:52:A9
    Source Address: 00:20:4A:96:23:C7
    BSS ID: 00:0E:2E:7C:52:A9
    Fragment Number: 0x0000 (0)
    Sequence Number: 0x000E (14)
Authentication
    Algorithm Number: 0x0001 (1) - Shared Key
    Transaction Sequence Number: 0x0001 (1)
    Status Code: 0x0000 (0) - Successful
Raw Data:
0x0000   B0 00 02 01 00 0E 2E 7C-52 A9 00 20 4A 96 23 C7   °......|R©. J–#Ç
0x0010   00 0E 2E 7C 52 A9 E0 00-01 00 01 00 00 00         ...|R©à.......

============================================================================

Packet #57, Direction: Pass-through, Time:16:11:42.638429, Size: 160
Wireless Packet Info
    Signal level: 100%
    Rate:   1.0 Mbps
    Band: 802.11g
    Channel: 11 - 2462 MHz
802.11
    Frame Control: 0x00B0 (176)
        Protocol version: 0
        To DS: 0
        From DS: 0
        More Fragments: 0
        Retry: 0
        Power Management: 0
        More Data: 0
        Protected Frame: 0
        Order: 0
        Type: 0 - Management
        Subtype: 11 - Authentication
    Duration: 0x013A (314)
    Destination Address: 00:20:4A:96:23:C7
    Source Address: 00:0E:2E:7C:52:A9
    BSS ID: 00:0E:2E:7C:52:A9
    Fragment Number: 0x0000 (0)
    Sequence Number: 0x0343 (835)
Authentication
    Algorithm Number: 0x0001 (1) - Shared Key
    Transaction Sequence Number: 0x0002 (2)
    Status Code: 0x0000 (0) - Successful
    Challenge text: 28 B8 9B EC 79 C1 AC B6 24 AD 54 A5 5A 96 EE 24 3E 25 F2 D5 B8 11 1C 2F E9 8D 2B A2 63 EA 3D 1F 40 6E 8C 3D 2C 7E 37 E9 5C 9C F4 0E F2 9C 50 88 21 DA 35 09 97 AE E3 BA 4E 56 77 9A B4 B1 F2 34 E9 AD
Raw Data:
0x0000   B0 00 3A 01 00 20 4A 96-23 C7 00 0E 2E 7C 52 A9   °.:.. J–#Ç...|R©
0x0010   00 0E 2E 7C 52 A9 30 34-01 00 02 00 00 00 10 80   ...|R©04.......€
0x0020   28 B8 9B EC 79 C1 AC B6-24 AD 54 A5 5A 96 EE 24   (¸›ìyÁ¬¶$­T¥Z–î$
0x0030   3E 25 F2 D5 B8 11 1C 2F-E9 8D 2B A2 63 EA 3D 1F   >%òÕ¸../é+¢cê=.
0x0040   40 6E 8C 3D 2C 7E 37 E9-5C 9C F4 0E F2 9C 50 88   @nŒ=,~7é\œô.òœPˆ
0x0050   21 DA 35 09 97 AE E3 BA-4E 56 77 9A B4 B1 F2 34   !Ú5.—®ãºNVwš´±ò4
0x0060   E9 AD 8D 98 05 28 A1 AD-3F DA 66 05 60 66 EA 24   é­˜.(¡­?Úf.`fê$
0x0070   02 DA 14 AC 66 CD DC E6-93 A8 79 23 70 87 39 44   .Ú.¬fÍÜ擨y#p‡9D
0x0080   17 4E 0F AC A2 CA 9F 84-5F 94 66 3C 04 AB 86 8E   .N.¬¢ÊŸ„_”f<.«†Ž
0x0090   99 78 AB C9 E9 C0 91 95-9E 52 B1 7C 6B 22 63 C0   ™x«ÉéÀ‘•žR±|k"cÀ

============================================================================


Packet #59, Direction: Pass-through, Time:16:11:42.639825, Size: 168
Wireless Packet Info
    Signal level: 100%
    Rate:   2.0 Mbps
    Band: 802.11g
    Channel: 11 - 2462 MHz
802.11
    Frame Control: 0x40B0 (16560)
        Protocol version: 0
        To DS: 0
        From DS: 0
        More Fragments: 0
        Retry: 0
        Power Management: 0
        More Data: 0
        Protected Frame: 1
        Order: 0
        Type: 0 - Management
        Subtype: 11 - Authentication
    Duration: 0x0102 (258)
    Destination Address: 00:0E:2E:7C:52:A9
    Source Address: 00:20:4A:96:23:C7
    BSS ID: 00:0E:2E:7C:52:A9
    Fragment Number: 0x0000 (0)
    Sequence Number: 0x000F (15)
Authentication
    Algorithm Number: 0x1300 (4864) - Reserved
    Transaction Sequence Number: 0x00F6 (246)
    Status Code: 0xB4BA (46266) - Reserved
Raw Data:
0x0000   B0 40 02 01 00 0E 2E 7C-52 A9 00 20 4A 96 23 C7   °@.....|R©. J–#Ç
0x0010   00 0E 2E 7C 52 A9 F0 00-00 13 F6 00 BA B4 A9 F5   ...|R©ð...ö.º´©õ
0x0020   77 E9 5D 1F A2 B2 CE 3A-AD 1E FD 31 EA 55 90 B8   wé].¢²Î:­.ý1êU¸
0x0030   56 F6 EF 81 CE C5 95 B6-9B 2F C4 77 BD E0 DD 73   VöïÎÅ•¶›/Äw½àÝs
0x0040   C6 C8 CE F6 0B 3F 0E 8D-08 15 93 5C 26 6E DA 17   ÆÈÎö.?...“\&nÚ.
0x0050   83 34 A2 53 51 65 3C AE-7A 5C A5 EA 04 97 6E F0   ƒ4¢SQe<®z\¥ê.—nð
0x0060   53 02 02 91 08 51 87 8E-83 38 CD 23 35 E7 56 1B   S..‘.Q‡Žƒ8Í#5çV.
0x0070   1D A8 52 8F E1 D4 21 FD-46 41 65 AD 26 AB 74 3D   .¨RáÔ!ýFAe­&«t=
0x0080   E0 13 12 66 F5 C1 67 B3-71 7F 83 77 A0 34 16 55   à..fõÁg³qƒw 4.U
0x0090   25 96 31 01 A0 9C D9 13-1E 7C E6 8F 15 8D 8A 7B   %–1. œÙ..|æ.Š{
0x00A0   8E 6B 65 97 74 0B 23 71-                          Žke—t.#q

============================================================================


Packet #61, Direction: Pass-through, Time:16:11:42.640916, Size: 30
Wireless Packet Info
    Signal level: 100%
    Rate:   1.0 Mbps
    Band: 802.11g
    Channel: 11 - 2462 MHz
802.11
    Frame Control: 0x00B0 (176)
        Protocol version: 0
        To DS: 0
        From DS: 0
        More Fragments: 0
        Retry: 0
        Power Management: 0
        More Data: 0
        Protected Frame: 0
        Order: 0
        Type: 0 - Management
        Subtype: 11 - Authentication
    Duration: 0x013A (314)
    Destination Address: 00:20:4A:96:23:C7
    Source Address: 00:0E:2E:7C:52:A9
    BSS ID: 00:0E:2E:7C:52:A9
    Fragment Number: 0x0000 (0)
    Sequence Number: 0x0344 (836)
Authentication
    Algorithm Number: 0x0001 (1) - Shared Key
    Transaction Sequence Number: 0x0004 (4)
    Status Code: 0x0000 (0) - Successful
Raw Data:
0x0000   B0 00 3A 01 00 20 4A 96-23 C7 00 0E 2E 7C 52 A9   °.:.. J–#Ç...|R©
0x0010   00 0E 2E 7C 52 A9 40 34-01 00 04 00 00 00         ...|R©@4......

============================================================================

I know, from the book, how RC4 works and I have written a python program to verify how WEP encrypts a 802.11 packet.

The remaining issue is I just cannot figure out how WEP authentication algorithm works(how #59 is calculated.

Waiting for your generous help.

Answer 1

This is a good question, but specifications and books written about them are often incomplete in the place where you need them the most.

Working source code is your best bet in this case and the linux/net/mac80211/wep.c code is out there for the reading.