WPA3 Announced After Severe WPA2 KRACK Flaw

Months after the WPA2 KRACK flaw was found, the Wi-Fi Alliance announced its long-awaited new security protocol – Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3).

This 2018 release of WPA3 will include four new security enhancements or improvements to WPA2. These improvements will help address growing concern for the severe WPA2 flaw known as KRACK or Key Installation Attacks.

Two major improvements will protect Wi-Fi users that select passwords that do not meet the complexity recommendations, and these improvements will help simplify the security configurations on devices that have limited or no display interface (i.e., IoT devices).

Data encryption is another feature that will be added for user privacy on open networks.

Lastly, the fourth feature will include a 192-bit security suite that will enhance Wi-Fi protections for organizations that have strict security requirements, such as government, defense and industrial.

This will greatly help the critical infrastructure sectors of the United States and other foreign governments.

Many hardware vendors were affected by the WPA2 flaw. The Wi-Fi Alliance will need to certify each hardware for WPA3 before going live.

Don’t expect WPA3 to launch overnight for all devices, but expect to see it later this year.

In the meantime, CIPHER recommends that security professionals use encryption for data at rest, in transit, or in use. Businesses may also consider using CHAP/PEAP with 802.1x authentication and enforced password complexity to enhance wireless network security, and wireless IPS for rogue network detection.

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