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WPA3 Wi Fi Security Protocol Announced at CES, Promises Encryption for Public Hotspots

WPA3 Wi-Fi Security Protocol Announced at CES, Promises Encryption for Public Hotspots 4qo1h

By Jamshed Avari | Updated: 9 January 2018 21:24 IST

Highlights

WPA3 will improve upon WPA2 but will require new devices or updates
Last year's KRACK vulnerability affects nearly every Wi-Fi device in use
WPA3 should begin to roll out in 2018

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The Wi-Fi Alliance, a consortium of companies that sets standards for consumer Wi-Fi, has announced a KRACK (key reinstallation attack) affects nearly every Wi-Fi-enabled device including PCs, smartphones and routers, because WPA2 is the de-facto standard for security. 605j39

WPA3 is intended to make Wi-Fi networks much more secure, especially in situations where Wi-Fi access points are used without network s, such as public hotspots. Traffic streams between the access point and end- devices will now be encrypted individually, improving privacy and security.

Exact details are not known yet, but the Wi-Fi Alliance has stated that it intends to simplify the process of choosing and setting up strong s, especially on devices that do not have screens, which is a growing concern in the age of internet-connected appliances and sensors. Brute-force attacks, which can be used to guess s to gain access to a network, will be deterred. Further, a 192-bit security suite has been implemented for sensitive corporate, industrial and government applications who need to comply with legal security requirements.

Wi-Fi devices will need to be updated and recertified by the Wi-Fi Alliance, or simply replaced, in order to WPA3. It is unclear whether there will be backward compatibility to allow older devices to continue to work. The rollout will begin in 2018, but more specific timeframes will only be known once hardware and software vendors release their own plans.

The Wi-Fi Alliance is also working on the emerging Wi-Fi 802.11ac and 802.11ax standards, designed to multiple access points covering larger areas, and to help s manage traffic and prioritisations between multiple devices on their Wi-Fi networks. 802.11ax is expected to roll out this year but might not see much traction till at least 2019, and promises to improve speeds to up to 600MBps, manage device connections more intelligently, and direct radio waves at specific devices rather than broadcasting in all directions.

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