Wpa supplicant

The WPA supplicant (English supplicant: supplicant ) [ Unix name: wpa_supplicant ] is a software for Linux, BSD, AROS and Windows, which performs the defined in the WPA standard role of supplicant.

With WPA, the keys used for encryption are automatically replaced regularly. WPA uses WEP key in the old format, which can be made safely through the regular automatic exchange. WEP keys be cracked, when a minimum lot about the data exchanged was overheard, the regular key exchange ensures that the keys are replaced before they reach this amount of data with new ones.

The supplicant is responsible for the client part of the key exchange. The Wireless Access Point requires at regular intervals by the supplicant that this authenticates itself. If this is the supplicant, he shall receive from the access point a new key to be used from now on for data transmission with the Access Point - the router to exchange the key using the supplicant again. The supplicant reconfigured so regularly the key of a wireless card via their device drivers.

For authentication, there are a number of protocols that also dominates the WPA supplicant when they are supported by the hardware (on the client side but also on the access point ). The wpa_supplicant supports WEP, WPA, WPA2- encrypted and unencrypted wireless networks.