
Chapter 6
6.6.3 Web-Based Authentication
The fact that a standard Web browser is the only software required for Web-based authen-
tication has made this authentication method very popular at public hotspots. The normal
procedure for Web-based authentication, otherwise known as a walled garden, is for the user
to connect to what appears as an open (security-free) access point. Once the 802.11 associa-
tion is complete and an IP address has been obtained through DHCP, the user launches a Web
browser.
In the scenario just described, the user often runs the browser while thinking that this
association with an open AP will be a free-of-charge service. Regardless ...