What is wifi-protected access (WPA)?

Wi-Fi protected access (WPA) is a standard security protocol for computing devices with wireless internet connections. The Wi-Fi allianceThis is a non-profit organization that owns the Wi-Fi trademark. Manufacturers may use the trademark to brand products certified for Wi-Fi interoperability. created WPA to enable more advanced data encryption, and better user authentication than the original Wi-Fi security standard called Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP).This is a security algorithm for 802.11 wireless networks.

There are three security protocols and certification schemes:

• Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)

• Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2)

• Wi-Fi Protected Access III (WPA3)

The Wi-Fi alliance created these to safeguard wireless computer networks. The alliance developed these protocols in response to the severe flaws discovered by researchers in the previous system.

WPA

WPA is an interim solution designed to replace WEP. The WPA protocol incorporates nearly the whole IEEE 802.11i standardThis is a standard for wireless local area networks (WLANs) that provides improved encryption for networks that use the popular 802.11a, 802.11b (which includes Wi-Fi) and 802.11g standards.. WPA implements the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP)This is an encryption protocol included as part of the IEEE 802.11i standard for wireless LANs (WLANs).. WEP employed a 64-bit or 128-bit encryption key that had to be manually input on wireless access points and devices and could never be modified once entered. TKIP uses a per-packet key, which means it creates a new 128-bit key for each packet, preventing the sorts of attacks that damage WEP.

WPA is a weak choice since it uses less secure encryption technology and requires a shorter password. There is no enterprise solution for WPA since it is not designed to be safe enough for commercial use.

WPA2

WPA2 is the successor to WPA and employs the Counter Mode Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code Protocol (CCMP)This is an encryption protocol based on the U.S. federal government's Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm.. The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm verifies message authenticity and integrity in the CCMP protocol. CCMP is more powerful and dependable than the original TKIP.

WPA2 does, however, still have flaws. Among the most severe risks is the possibility of unauthorized access to the corporate wireless network. This occurs when an attack vector infiltrates specific Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) access points. It is advised that WPS be disabled for each attack vector access point in WPA2.

WPA3

WPA3 is the most recent and up-to-date WPA implementation. In 2018, the Wi-Fi Alliance began certifying WPA3-compliant equipment. WPA3's new improvements and features include:

• Wi-Fi Device Provisioning Protocol (DPP)

• SAE exchange

The new SAE exchange technique creates a secure handshake. It takes the place of WPA2's pre-shared key exchange, which exchanges a password to generate a key that initiates a four-way handshake. When the initial key exchange happens, SAE provides better security in private mode. Similarly, the new Wi-Fi DPP function increases security by not depending on shared passwords. Instead, DPP employs QR codes or near-field communication tags to grant devices network access. Even if a user's password is weak, WPA3 uses Wi-Fi DPP to give a more secure handshake.

WPA3 has, however, been infected with several weaknesses. This comprises five vulnerabilities known as Dragonblood, a denial-of-service attack.

Key differences

Below are some key differences between the three versions of WPA.