Mac header protection with preexisting keys

A method for providing protection of a machine access control (MAC) header of a frame, the method comprising:

• identifying, by one or more processors, a temporal key (TK) programmed in hardware to encrypt frames at a machine access control (MAC) layer for wireless communications;
• computing, by the one or more processors using the TK, a first key for encrypting a body of a frame and a second key for encrypting a header of the frame, the second key different from the first key;
• identifying, by the one or more processors, one or more frames at the MAC layer to be encrypted for wireless communications;
• encrypting, by the one or more processors, the body of the one or more frames at the MAC layer using the first key and the header of the one or more frames at the MAC layer using the second key.

A system, comprising:

• one or more processors coupled with memory to:
• identify a temporal key (TK) programmed in hardware to encrypt frames at a machine access control (MAC) layer for wireless communications;
• compute, using the TK, a first key for encrypting a body of a frame and a second key for encrypting a header of the frame, the second key different from the first key;
• identify one or more frames at the MAC layer to be encrypted for wireless communications;
• encrypt the body of the one or more frames at the MAC layer using the first key and the header of the one or more frames at the MAC layer using the second key.