security risk combining 802.11g adapters with 802.11b adapters?

I've been told by a computer salesman that if I combine a 802.11g adapter on
one PC with a 802.11b adapter on another, the resulting wireless LAN will be
less secure. Is that true?

--

Jeff McPherson
Email address deliberately false to avoid spam

Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free by AVG

 

:I've been told by a computer salesman that if I combine a 802.11g adapter on
ne PC with a 802.11b adapter on another, the resulting wireless LAN will be
:less secure. Is that true?

Not that I can think of.

What the rep might have been talking about is that the 11g adapter
probably supported WPA (and might have supported 802.1x) but most 11b
adapters support only WEP (there's probably exceptions by now.) WEP has
known insecurities; I have seen some claims that the 40 bit version of
it can be cracked within minutes, but the only thing I've seen
confirmed is that it can be cracked after several gigabytes (which
would normally imply days or weeks, depending on your transmission
volumes.)

 

Q: What's the difference between a computer salesman and a used-car
salesman?

A: The car salesman knows when he's lying to you.

 

Thank you.

--

Jeff McPherson
Email address deliberately false to avoid spam

Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free by AVG

 

---> My reply to what Jeff Malka wrote 12/13/2003 4:15:09 PM

I would think you are correct about the WPA vs WEP issue, that is the only
thing that I can think of that would be different.

While it is true that WEP can be broken ( the 40 bit with brute force and the
104 bit after collection of a lot of data) it is important to remember that
WEP is only part of a secure setup. Restricting MAC addresses, changing your
password and WEP key often, turning authentication off and disabling ESSID
(if possible and on a home system) broadcasts off can also improve security.
You also want to minimise your 'foot print' or the signal from your system
outside your house or building but that will still allow your needed
components to access the system with good quality.

Depending on how you are using this wireless system the increased cost of
replacing the 802.11b components with 802.11g components may or may not be
worth the cost. You have to consider your risk. If you are using this system
on a small home network, you are not on a main path your risk is much less
than if you have a large business system with sensitive information.

I would make sure the new g system components all can use WPA or else I see
little benefit of upgrading the whole system.

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