What is a WEP key?

WEP is a standard for wireless network security and stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy. To access a secured network, a user has to use a WEP key. WEP keys have exactly 10 or 26 hexadecimal digits, that is, numerical characters 0 to 9 and letters A to F.

As of 2003, WEP has been superseded by WPA, or Wi-Fi Protected Access, as WEP protected networks are vulnerable to several security risks. One of the most famous security breaches is the T.J. Maxx network invasion in which over 45 million credit cards were exposed due to the use of WEP, making it the biggest hack in history.