Wi-Fi Security

Wi-Fi Security

There are different types of Wi-Fi security.

Open:

• Open Authentication
• No Encryption

WEP:

• Wired Equivalent Privacy
• Hexadecimal key

WPA:

• Wi-Fi Protected Access
• Intended as a stop-gap until the WPA2 hardware rollout.
• Could be implemented on WEP hardware with a new patch install.
• Data rate limited to 54 Mbps
• Two Variants
  • WPA-Personal/WPA-PSK
    • 8 to 63 character pre-shared passkey
  • WPA-Enterprise
    • Credentials are sent from the AP to a Radius server for authentication.

WPA2

• Wi-Fi Protected Access 2
• new Cipher suite
• Required new hardware
• Two Variants
  • WPA-Personal/WPA-PSK
    • 8 to 63 character pre-shared passkey
  • WPA-Enterprise
    • Credentials are sent from the AP to a Radius server for authentication.

WPA3:

• Wi-Fi Protected Access 3
• Enhanced Open
  • Encryption for open networks with Opportunistic Wireless Encryption (OWE)
• WPA3-Personal
  • Provides forward secrecy with simultaneously Authentication of Equals (SAE)
  • complex passphrases no longer required.
• WPA3-Enterprise
  • much stronger encryption