The Wi-Fi Alliance has finally announced the next generation wireless security protocol—Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA3). It will replace the existing WPA-2 that has been around for last 15 years.
WPA2 has long been considered to be insecure. Recently, it was found vulnerable to KRACK that allows attackers to intercept and decrypt Wi-Fi traffic passing between computers and access points. The new standard will improve the security and privacy both.
WPA 3 protocol improves user privacy in open networks through data encryption. It will protect against brute-force dictionary attacks. There will also be a 192-bit security suite for networks with higher security requirements such as government and defense organizations.
The WPA3 will be launched in 2018 and it could take few months for device manufacturers to support the new wireless security standard. The first device with WPA 3 is expected to come later this year as the hardware must get certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance to use WPA3 security protocol.
Wi-Fi Alliance has also made it clear that WPA2 security protocol would not be removed for the foreseeable future and it will keep on updating the WPA2 protocol to bring extra security features to billions of devices already using this old protocol.
