WPA2 vs WP3, what are the differences?

The security of the networks we use to connect to the Internet is important, as we work with valuable data on them. Therefore, the user must know what vulnerabilities exist and what protocols his WiFi network works with, whether WPA2 or WPA3, to have greater security when connecting to these networks.

A brief history of WiFi security protocols

Before differentiating between WPA2 and WPA3, we must know what WiFi Protected Access or WPA is. These are security protocols designed to protect WiFi networks, with the main objective of encrypting the data transmitted between a device and the access point. Thanks to this, these security protocols prevent intruders from intercepting and accessing information.

WPA2 is the enhancement of the WPA protocol, its predecessor. It uses the 802-11i security protocol and has two modes of operation: professional and enterprise. The WPA3 protocol is a next-generation WiFi security protocol that introduces improvements over WPA2, both in terms of security and ease of use. In addition, WPA2 and WPA3 are compatible, allowing for a gradual transition.

If you are still using WPA or WEP, your wireless network security is at risk

In addition, using older encryption systems such as WPA or WEP is not recommended, as they pose a security and privacy problem. Both protocols must be avoided in favor of WPA2 or WPA3. Special mention should be made of the WPS PIN/Push button connection method; this is a simplified method by which devices can join the WiFi network by simply pressing a button or entering a 4-digit key. It’s a broken mechanism from a security point of view and should always be disabled, and activated only when strictly necessary.

To understand the operation of WPA2 and WPA3 it is necessary to know that during the process of connecting to a WiFi network, two methods are performed, on the one hand, authentication, whereby the device and the access point exchange cryptographic information to verify that you know the key and you can connect to the network and on the other hand encryption, which is used once connected to the network to keep communication secure.

Features of WPA2

First, we will discuss the WPA2 protocol and its main features and vulnerabilities.

• Authentication: The WPA2 protocol will use PSK for home or small office environments. With PSK, devices are authenticated using a pre-shared key. For large enterprise environments, WPA2 will use 802.1X/EAP. This authentication method requires a RADIUS server to handle the authentication and thus provides greater security by allowing different authentication methods and greater flexibility to connect to employee lists, etc.
  To perform these authentication processes, WPA2 will use a 4-way Handshake. This process ensures that both the access point and the client have the same pre-shared key. During this handshake, temporary keys are generated to encrypt the transmitted data.
• Encryption: WPA2 uses Advanced Encryption Standard, AES, in CCMP mode to encrypt your data. AES is known to be a strong encryption standard that provides robust security. On the other hand, WPA2 also uses Temporal Key Integrity Protocol or TKIP to maintain compatibility with older devices, although this is less secure than AES.
• Vulnerabilities: the 4-way handshake processes for WPA2 have a vulnerability known as KRACK, Key Reinstallation Attack, which allows the reinstallation of keys and, potentially, the interception of dropped data.

Features of WPA3

It is time to talk about WPA3, the more current of the two protocols and the evolution of WPA2.

• Authentication: a distinction must be made here. The so-called WPA3-Personal uses SAE to protect pre-shared keys and improve resistance to brute-force attacks, making it much more resistant to dictionary attacks. At the same time, WPA3-Enterprise offers stronger authentication and encryption, which is suitable for environments that handle sensitive data.
• Encryption: This WiFi security protocol uses SAE, a strong authentication protocol based on Diffie-Hellman key exchange. SAE replaces the 4-way handshake used by WPA2. In addition, WPA3 has stronger encryption using 192-bit encryption in Enterprise mode, providing a security level equivalent to the NSA Suite-B standard.
  In addition, WPA3 will have additional protection thanks to Opportunistic Wireless Encryption, which provides individualized encryption even in open networks, significantly improving security compared to traditional open networks.
• Improvements over WPA2: Some features have evolved from WPA2 to WPA3. First, WPA3 has individualized data encryption, as it uniquely encrypts each connection between the device and the access point, even in open networks. This operative will provide an additional layer of security in public places.
  On the other hand, WP3 includes a simplified configuration mechanism known as WiFi Easy Connect, which simplifies the connection of devices without a display.

WPA2 vs. WPA3: which version a user should use

Security should never be exclusive to enterprises; any home user should be able to rely on and use the latest security standards, so whenever possible, they should use the latest encryption systems.
The difference between home users is no longer so much about whether to use WPA3 or not. The answer to this is quick: yes, you should.

The big difference is the type of authentication that is configured. It doesn’t make sense for a home user to install a RADIUS server to connect to their WiFi network. Still, it does make the most sense in corporate environments, as it limits and restricts access to the network for company users with their credentials.

If your router allows it, the best option is always to use WPA3

However, using one protocol or another will always depend on the compatibility needs of existing devices, as some still need to support WPA3. Furthermore, we must remember that if we use a hybrid network that supports both WP2 and WPA3, security will improve for those connecting with WPA3 devices but will have weaknesses for those with WPA2.

Why are encryption methods important?

Encryption methods are essential to protect the confidentiality and integrity of data transmitted over a WiFi network. Anyone with the right tools could intercept and read network traffic without encryption. Encryption methods ensure that data is unreadable to intruders, even if they manage to capture the traffic. In addition, encryption has three major benefits: confidentiality, integrity and authentication.

Confidentiality means that only the sender and the intended recipient can read the data. Integrity ensures that the data has not been altered during transmission, and authentication verifies that the data comes from a legitimate source.

How do I know what encryption my WiFi has?

There are multiple ways to determine if my WiFi network uses WPA2 or WPA3 protocols. In addition, if you want to know the encryption of any WiFi network, even if you are not connected, you can use tools such as Acrylic WiFi Analyzer. With it, you can list all the routers and access points around you to find detailed information about their security. Additionally, you can evaluate the security of your network, and it will offer you recommendations for improving how to protect your WiFi network.

In case you are connected to the WiFi network, the information on which protocol you are using will be provided in different ways depending on the operating system you are using.

• We will have to open the Network and Sharing Center for Windows to select the active WiFi network. After that, we will go to Wireless Properties and then the Security tab.
• For macOS, we will hold down the Option key and click on the WiFi icon in the menu bar. There you will see detailed information about the network, including security.