WPA3- Coming in 2018
WPA3- Coming in 2018
WPA3 is not an immediate replacement for WPA2, which will
continue to be maintained and enhanced. In particular, the Alliance will
introduce new testing enhancements for WPA2 to reduce the potential for
vulnerabilities caused by network misconfigurations; and will further safeguard
managed networks with centralized authentication services.New Wi-Fi Alliance WPA3 certified devices will take some time to
filter into widespread use. Use of the new specification will require WPA3
devices and WPA3 routers -- and since the vast majority of home wi-fi users
never buy a router but use the one supplied by their ISP, many users won't
become WPA3 compatible before they change ISPs. That could take several years.
Nevertheless, there are some welcome enhancements over the WP2
specification that has kept users largely, but not entirely, protected for
around two decades.
Four new capabilities for both personal and enterprise networks
have been announced. There are no technical details in the Wi-Fi announcement,
leading to some conjecture over exactly how they will be introduced.
The first will be to provide "robust protections" even
when the user fails to use a strong password. Mathy Vanhoef, the researcher who
discovered the KRACK WPA2
vulnerability, has suggested on Twitter,
"That means dictionary attacks no longer work. The handshake they're
referring to is likely Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE). Which is
also called Dragonfly;" adding, "The standards behind WPA3 already
existed for a while. But now devices are *required* to support them,
otherwise they're won't receive the "WPA3-certified" label."
The third will improve the security of open wi-fi hotspots --
such as cafes, hotels and airport lounges -- by giving each user individualized
data encryption. On this, Vanhoef commented, "This might refer to
Opportunistic Wireless Encryption: encryption without authentication." It
won't make the use of wi-fi hotspots completely secure, but should go some way
to reassuring security officers who know that corporate employees work from
hotspots while traveling.
The fourth will be a 192-bit security suite aligned with the Commercial
National Security Algorithm (CNSA) Suite, that will further protect wi-fi
networks with higher security requirements; such as government, defense, and
industrial.
We can expect that new WPA3 devices will start to appear over
the next few months -- particularly since many of the manufacturers will be
members of the Alliance. However, the devices will need wait for the launch of
the Wi-Fi Alliance's formal certification process before they can be truly
called such. The Wi-Fi Certified designation will be important to reassure
buyers.
"Security is a foundation of Wi-Fi Alliance certification
programs, and we are excited to introduce new features to the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED
family of security solutions," commented Edgar Figueroa, president and CEO
of Wi-Fi Alliance. "The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED designation means Wi-Fi devices
meet the highest standards for interoperability and security protections."
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