Wi-Fi alliance launches WPA3

by Mark Tyson on 26 June 2018, 10:01

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The Wi-Fi alliance has at last launched its next generation standard for Wi-Fi security. Wi-Fi Certified WPA3 is said to deliver new capabilities to personal and enterprise networks, make Wi-Fi security simpler, offer more robust authentication, and provide increased cryptographic strength - very important for highly sensitive data applications. WPA3 retains interoperability with WPA2, which was introduced about 14 years ago.

In its description of the new Wi-Fi security standard, the Wi-Fi Alliance said that all WPA3 networks use the latest security methods, disallow outdated legacy protocols, and require use of Protected Management Frames (PMF). Depending upon the personal/enterprise implementation key capabilities are as follows:

  • WPA3-Personal: more resilient, password-based authentication even when users choose passwords that fall short of typical complexity recommendations. WPA3 leverages Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE), a secure key establishment protocol between devices, to provide stronger protections for users against password guessing attempts by third parties.
  • WPA3-Enterprise: offers the equivalent of 192-bit cryptographic strength, providing additional protections for networks transmitting sensitive data, such as government or finance. The 192-bit security suite ensures a consistent combination of cryptographic tools are deployed across WPA3 networks.

Two other new Wi-Fi initiatives have been introduced alongside WPA3. Firstly, Wi-Fi Certified Easy Connect is a new program that reduces the complexity of onboarding Wi-Fi devices with limited or no display interface – such as devices coming to market for Internet of Things (IoT) - without sacrificing security standards. An example use case is in employing your smartphone's easy to use interface to securely add a screen-less device to your Wi-Fi network.

Secondly, Wi-Fi Certified Enhanced Open "delivers improved data protections while maintaining the convenience and ease-of-use of open networks". It is intended for use by the likes of coffee shops, or in guest web portals used by venues such as airports, hotels and sports arenas.



HEXUS Forums :: 5 Comments

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It will probably only take until WPA4 for most ISPs to actually include it in their standard routers! :(
CAT-THE-FIFTH
It will probably only take until WPA4 for most ISPs to actually include it in their standard routers! :(

You know it. And it'll be the flimsiest implementation ever.
aidanjt
You know it. And it'll be the flimsiest implementation ever.

given Virgin STILL haven't released a proper fix for the puma chipset drop-out issues in the s.hub3 chances of this getting a swift implementation are positively nil.
ik9000
given Virgin STILL haven't released a proper fix for the puma chipset drop-out issues in the s.hub3 chances of this getting a swift implementation are positively nil.
Can they fix that in software?
spacein_vader
Can they fix that in software?

firmware? yes. kind of. they're finally trialling a patch but it's getting very mixed reviews and large packets still drop. it's just a rubbish chip.

edit: Found the link: https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2018/02/quick-update-virgin-media-hub-3-router-latency-fix.html