Well, > I'd be more scared of the hacker that can bypass wep, > > than the average joe without wep. > > The hacker knows how to exploit your wep-decrypted network traffic, > > the average joe doesn't even if it were plain-text data. > it's not always about sniffing something, sometimes it's about access only. If somebody does something bad with my unencrypted access-point using my internet-access, here in germany I am liable. If I configure feeble WEP64/40 I am not since there is at least some "protection" to be illegaly bypassed before the network can be used.
Same with your car, leave the door open and the key in the lock for everybody even minor to drive and the accident will be your problem since the car hasn't been stolen. Lock the car and not matter if you can short and open the thing with your fingers only it's a different story since the car is "stolen". So even though WEP is trash, from certain points of view it's a usefull as a cheap padlock on the garden hood so the next neighbours children don't kill themself with the axe or whatever is in there. If they break the window and get in there, it's their problem. Not that this is a lot more difficult then cracking WEP. /pun Cracking windows just makes more noise. Of course this is all a bit simplified but maybe some of the people here declaring that WEP is trash and shouldn't be used wake up and see that even "trashy" protection has it's use as long as it offers "some" protection. -sm
