WPA Full Form

WPA stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access. It’s a type of security protocol for wi-fi accessing developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to secure wireless computer networks. It was introduced with the 802.11i wireless standard in 2003. A new version was released in 2006 known as WPA2 which is more secure and advanced as compared to previous version of WPA. Characteristics of WPA:

• It provides support for authentication servers or RADIUS servers.
• It offers built-in authentication support.
• Produces better encryption than WEP.

Characteristics of WPA are:

1. Stronger Encryption: WPA uses the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption algorithm, which is more secure than the previous Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol.

2. Dynamic Keying: WPA uses Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) to provide dynamic keying for every packet transmitted, making it harder for attackers to intercept and decrypt data.

3. Authentication: WPA provides authentication using the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP), which allows for more robust and flexible authentication mechanisms, such as digital certificates or smart cards.

4. Improved Key Management: WPA uses a 4-way handshake process to establish keys and prevent replay attacks.

5. Backward Compatibility: WPA is backward compatible with devices that support WEP, allowing for an easy upgrade path.

6. Message Integrity: WPA uses Message Integrity Check (MIC) to ensure that the data transmitted over the wireless network has not been tampered with.

7. Improved Network Management: WPA provides improved network management capabilities, including support for multiple SSIDs, allowing different network policies to be applied to different groups of users.

8. Stronger Passwords: WPA supports the use of passwords with a minimum length of 8 characters, making it harder for attackers to guess the password.

9. WPA2: WPA2 is an updated version of WPA that provides even stronger security features, including support for AES-CCMP encryption and pre-shared keys.

Advantages of WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) are:

1. Increased Security: WPA provides stronger security than the previous Wi-Fi security protocol, WEP, by using the more secure AES encryption algorithm and dynamic keying.

2. Backward Compatibility: WPA is backward compatible with devices that support WEP, making it easier to upgrade older devices to a more secure protocol.

3. Improved Key Management: WPA uses a 4-way handshake process to establish keys and prevent replay attacks, which improves the key management process compared to WEP.

4. Message Integrity: WPA uses Message Integrity Check (MIC) to ensure that data transmitted over the wireless network has not been tampered with.

5. Improved Network Management: WPA provides improved network management capabilities, including support for multiple SSIDs, allowing different network policies to be applied to different groups of users.

6. Stronger Passwords: WPA supports the use of passwords with a minimum length of 8 characters, making it harder for attackers to guess the password.

7. Support for Enterprise Networks: WPA supports enterprise-level security mechanisms, such as digital certificates or smart cards, which can be used to authenticate users.

8. Compliance with Security Regulations: WPA is compliant with various security regulations, such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), which is required for businesses that handle credit card information.

9. WPA2: WPA2 is an updated version of WPA that provides even stronger security features, including support for AES-CCMP encryption and pre-shared keys.

Disadvantages of WPA:

• Lack of forward secrecy
• Weak password.