{"id":9455,"date":"2023-06-15T09:00:35","date_gmt":"2023-06-15T09:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routerctrl.com\/?p=9455"},"modified":"2023-06-15T12:06:51","modified_gmt":"2023-06-15T12:06:51","slug":"wi-fi-protected-access-wpa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routerctrl.com\/wi-fi-protected-access-wpa\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)? (Everything You Need to Know About Wi-Fi Security)"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many <\/span>internet users<\/span><\/a>, mentioning various acronyms and abbreviated IT terms is enough to cause a headache. They couldn’t care less about the terms and functions as long as they could use the computers and other devices online. But sometimes, it is worth knowing some of the main IT acronyms and their functions, especially when you face a <\/span>problem with your device or internet connection<\/span><\/a>. That brings us to the topic – what is Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)?<\/span><\/p>\n

Developed and first released in 2003 by the <\/span>Wi-Fi Alliance<\/span><\/a>, Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is the standard of security for <\/span>Wi-Fi-connected devices<\/span><\/a>. The original Wi-Fi security standard is called Wired Equivalent Privacy or <\/span>WEP<\/span><\/a>. Then, Wi-Fi Alliance developed WPA in an attempt to come up with more advanced data encryption and superior user validation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Wi-Fi Alliance created WPA in response to WEP protocol weaknesses. However, WPA was superseded by <\/span>WPA2<\/span><\/a> in 2004 to offer a more secure form after a year of the previous version’s release. The current version is <\/span>WPA3<\/span><\/a>, released recently in 2018, but WPA2 is still widely accepted. <\/span><\/p>\n

Enterprises and individuals use separate WPA modes<\/span><\/a>. The latest enterprise mode is <\/span>WPA-EAP<\/span><\/a>, which utilizes a rigid authentication process. Furthermore, corporate users need to communicate with a dedicated server before validating login credentials. On the other hand, the most recent personal mode, WPA-PSK, utilizes <\/span>SAE<\/span><\/a> (Simultaneous Authentication of Equals) in creating an assured verification.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s take a deeper look into the two versions that are still in use – WPA2, and WPA3.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"What<\/p>\n

WPA2 Protocol<\/h2>\n

As we already know, WPA2 was established only a year after WPA was first launched. Apparently, there were a lot of things that needed upgrading since the creation of the original WPA version. It operates via the <\/span>CCMP (Counter Mode Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code Protocol)<\/span><\/a>. On the other hand, the original WPA uses the weak and unreliable <\/span>TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol)<\/span><\/a>. AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), which produces authenticity verification messages, is the basis of the CCMP protocol.<\/span><\/p>\n

WPA VS WPA2<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n