When was WEP officially abandoned by the Wi-Fi Alliance?

WEP, or Wired Equivalent Privacy, was officially abandoned by the Wi-Fi Alliance in 2004. This decision was made due to the numerous security vulnerabilities that became evident as the technology was increasingly scrutinized and exploited. WEP was originally developed to provide a level of security comparable to that of wired networks, but over time, it was uncovered that WEP did not adequately protect wireless communications. The Wi-Fi Alliance advised moving to more secure protocols, such as WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) and later, WPA2, which addressed the weaknesses present in WEP. The abandonment in 2004 marked a significant shift towards improving wireless network security standards, reinforcing the need for better encryption methods in the industry.