The new wireless security protocol is poised
to make hacking Wi-Fi connections a whole lot harder
The Wi-Fi Alliance on Monday officially launched WPA3, a new Wi-Fi security protocol that is
designed to enhance wireless security.
The new standard “adds new features to
simplify Wi-Fi security, enable more robust authentication, and deliver
increased cryptographic strength for highly sensitive data markets,” according
to the Wi-Fi Alliance, a nonprofit group that certifies Wi-Fi networking
standards.
The latest iteration of WPA (short for “Wi-Fi Protected
Access”) comes in two flavors – personal and enterprise. They share a number of
features, such as the latest security methods and the non-acceptance of legacy
protocols, but each mode of operation also contains additional capabilities
that take into account differences between the usages of, and requirements for,
home versus enterprise networks.
Key improvements
One of the notable security enhancements
brought by WPA3 resides in protection against password-guessing attacks, such
as dictionary attacks, in which malefactors take countless stabs at a password
in a bid to arrive at the right one. This new safeguard is thanks to an
authentication handshake called Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE) and
also applies to cases when users choose simple and easy-to-break passwords – a
very common scenario indeed.
In addition, WPA3 supports forward secrecy,
meaning that even if a password is compromised, attackers can’t decrypt Wi-Fi
traffic transmitted prior to the intrusion. Of note is also the fact that the
new features don’t impose any extra burden or inconvenience on the user.
For enterprise networks, WPA3 “offers the
equivalent of 192-bit cryptographic strength, providing additional protections
for networks transmitting sensitive data, such as government or finance”.
In addition, the Alliance announced Wi-Fi
Easy Connect, which is a feature that is intended to securely get devices
with limited or no display interface – notably Internet-of-Things (IoT) gadgets – onto a network by
scanning QR codes with a smartphone.
Do you find it hard to resist using free public Wi-Fi? If so, the Wi-Fi Alliance has some good news
for you, too. The announcement on launching WPA3 also notes the release earlier
this month of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Enhanced Open, a technology that supports
individualized data encryption in a bid to counter the risk of threats such as
Man-in-the-Middle (MiTM) attacks.
WPA3 is a successor to WPA2, which was
launched way back in 2004 and is widely used for securing Wi-Fi traffic. WPA2
security was recently in the spotlight after researchers found that the
protocol suffers from a series of serious flaws that they dubbed ‘KRACK’. Although many device manufacturers have since
sealed up the cracks, the discovery highlighted concerns surrounding wireless
connections.
It remains to be seen when WPA3-enabled
products will enter the market, although it is very likely to take quite some
time before they reach broad implementation. For the time being, WPA3 is
optional for newly-manufactured devices and it retains interoperability with
WPA2 devices through a transitional mode of operation, said the Wi-Fi Alliance.