The Wi-Fi connection is currently an essential element in the world of communications. The internet has had a huge impact, and as different communication devices were manufactured, the need arose to provide a way for these devices to connect to a network.
Security parameters
Equipment that provides the ability to provide a wireless connection to other devices has also evolved. In this sense, different security configurations were established little by little.
At first, anyone could think that such parameters served to prevent the unwanted connection of other devices on the network that you maintain at home or work. But the truth is that it goes much further.
Security types
The security settings you establish on your router would not only define the way in which other devices can connect to the network, but also the level of protection that can be established on your internet connection.
Being connected to a network, there is an exchange of information between the device or computer and the server. The security settings will help to encrypt this type of information so that your device (tablet, mobile, computer) is safe from any attack. In this vein, there are several types of security available for your wireless or WiFi network: WEP, WPA, WPA2, and WPA3.
Differences between types of security
Something can be certain: by finishing reading this article, you will have enough knowledge about these types of security to be clear about which configuration to adopt for your wireless network. Therefore, we invite you to continue reading.
What is WEP?
This is one of the first security standards for network connections. It is also known as privacy equivalent to wiring, so anyone could understand that this type of security was established, mainly, to connections through a cable.
At the time that WiFi equipment began to make a presence in the market, this security and privacy configuration began to be developed for wireless networks.
Did you do it? Not at all, wireless connections adopting this configuration proved highly vulnerable. So it is not a recommended configuration.
Evolution to WPA
After the little reliability left by the WEP configuration in wireless networks, it was decided to continue developing a system to optimize the security of a connection.
Of all the fixes that were made to the WEP security type, WPA emerged. Basically, the operation was the same: it authenticated users who requested to establish a connection to the network through a pre-shared key.
However, the boot vector (48 bit) and key encryption (128 bit) make this type of setup much more secure and reliable for your router.
From WPA to WPA2
However, the developers considered that there were still aspects to improve, because, although WPA maintained higher levels of security than WEP, it was still vulnerable to attacks.
For this new protocol, Wifi Alliance included an encryption algorithm “Advanced Encryption Standard”, also known as “AES”, which gave a much higher security index to networks than the previous ones.
Now… vulnerable? Without a doubt. Of course, to attack a network with this type of security configuration, unlike the previous two, a requirement had to be met: having access to the network.
WPA3, final?
Given the constant improvement of these security protocols, in 2018, the WiFi Alliance announced the launch of this protocol, which, it ensures, will improve the levels of security in passwords and will provide a simpler interface for configuration.
Which to choose?
After all the above, it can be ensured that the WPA2 configuration is one of the best you could use if it is a wireless connection in your home, due to the small number of people who can stay connected, which reduces the risks of attacks.
WPA3 will undoubtedly be one of the best, but it can be said that it is a protocol that is still under development, progressively routers that have this type of configuration will go on sale.