W

WAN – see Wide Area Network.

War chalking – the Great Depression era hobo-style practice of using chalk to physically mark ‘hotspots’, from which (usually) unauthorised access to nearby wireless networks can be achieved. This has now been largely superseded by Internet-based location lists of available unsecured (open) wireless networks. See, for example, www.wifinder.com and www.wardrive.net/general/hotspots.

War dialling – a computer program (usually freeware or shareware) used by hackers to identify phone numbers that can connect to a computer modem. The program automatically dials a defined range of phone numbers and then records in a database those numbers that connect successfully. Some programs can also identify the computer’s OS and may also conduct automated penetration testing by running through a predetermined list of common user names and passwords in an attempt to gain access to the system.

War driving – the practice of driving around business or residential areas, scanning for wireless networks. Any computer that is wireless enabled can be used for this purpose, although there are a number of software tools and peripherals that substantially improve the speed, accuracy and covertness of this activity. Netstumbler is a well-known war driving kit that is inexpensive and readily available.

WARP – Warning, Advice and Reporting Point, a community that uses a website, e-mail, telephone, text messages, and occasional meetings (where possible) to send a personalised service of IT security warnings and advice to members. (See website at: www.warp.gov.uk.)

Web — see World Wide Web.

Webcam – a digital camera that transmits images over the Internet.

Web mail – an e-mail service that sits on a web server and is accessible through a browser.

Web master – the person, in an organisation, who is responsible for the configuration and maintenance of the organisation’s web servers and web presence.

WEP – Wired Equivalent Privacy is a protocol in the IEEE’s original 802.11 standard for wireless networking that was designed to tackle the vulnerability that comes from data sharing radio waves. It has many flaws and should not be relied on to provide adequate security.

White hat – a non-criminal hacker. See also Ethical hacking.

Whitelist – the list of people that you positively want to receive e-mails from.

Wide Area Network – a network of two or more LANs, connected through physical links (leased lines or the telephone system) or satellites. The Internet is the largest WAN in existence. See LAN.

WiFi – Wireless Fidelity is the name given to wireless networking that meets a number of standards promulgated by the IEEE. Those most commonly encountered are 802.11a, 802.11b (the original WiFi), 802.11g and 802.11i.

• 802.11 – the IEEE’s tag for a family of standards for wireless LANs, broken down into a number of different versions, adopted at different times.

• 802.11a – is the wireless standard operating at 5 GHz and running at up to 54 Mbps. This was the second wireless standard adopted. It is not compatible with the other wireless standards, has a comparatively short range, at 30 metres, and is mostly used in office environments.

• 802.11b – is the wireless standard that was originally known as WiFi. It operates at 2.4 GHz and at up to 11 Mbps. It has been widely adopted and is the most widely available and used, is compatible with 802.11g and has a maximum outdoor range of about 120 metres and 50 metres indoors.

• 802.11g – is the wireless standard operating at 2.4 GHz but running at 54 Mbps; it is compatible with 802.11b but is five times faster. An 802.11g device can access an 802.11b HotSpot, but will run at the slower speed.

• 802.11i – is the wireless standard that uses AES, a more secure method of handling authentication. This version was specifically developed to tackle the security issues that had emerged with earlier versions and has only recently become commercially available.

• 802.11n – was approved by the IEEE in October 2009 and adds MIMO and other features to the 802.11 standard.

• 802.1X – should not be confused with any 802.11 standards. 802.1X provides a framework for authenticating and authorising devices connected to a network and would usually involve an authentication server. It improves security by automatically and dynamically changing encryption keys more quickly that any hacker can crack them.

WiFi Alliance – this is an independent, non-profit organisation that certifies WiFi product interoperability and operates the WiFi Zone HotSpot programme. See website at: www.wi-fi.org.

WiFi certified – means that the product has been certified by the WiFi Alliance to be interoperable with whichever 802.11 (usually a, b and g) wireless standards it claims. See WiFi.

WiFi Zone – the WiFi Alliance operates a programme to identify and mark public APs with a standard logo, supported by a website that identifies, worldwide, the location of local WiFi hotspots. The website is at: http://wi-fi.jiwire.com/.

‘Wild’ – this is the digital online world, the place where viruses and worms spread, beyond human control.

WiMax – the next generation of wireless technology, with wireless ranges of up to 10 miles and broadband speeds. The first technology is in the pipeline (see http://wimaxxed.com).

Wireless – a communication method that does not rely on cabling of any sort – see WiFi.

Wireless LAN – a local area network consisting of a number of wireless clients accessing a fixed network (e.g. an Internet backbone) through a wireless access point.

WLAN – see Wireless LAN.

Workstation – a computer that has a mass storage device (hard drive) and a large, high resolution screen and uses an operating system that provides a graphical user interface (GUI).

World Wide Web – this is an information-sharing construct that sits on top of the Internet, and uses HTTP to transmit data. It is not synonymous with the Internet. A browser is required for accessing web content. See Internet.

Worm – unlike a virus, a worm is autonomous. It does not rely upon a host file to carry it. It can replicate itself (i.e. it is self-propagating), which it does by means of a transmission medium such as e-mail, Instant Messaging, Internet Relay Chat, network connections, etc. Polymorphic worms are capable of evolving in the wild, so that they can more effectively overcome evolving virus defences.

WPA – WiFi Protected Access, a more secure version of 802.11 that uses TKIP. See WiFi and TKIP.

WPA2 – the interoperable version of WPA.