The WiFi connection is currently a essential element in the world of communications. The internet has had a very high impact, and as different communication devices have been produced, the need has arisen to provide a way to enable these devices to connect to a network.
Security parameters
Even the equipment that provides the ability to provide a wireless connection to other devices yes have evolved. In this sense, different security configurations were gradually established.
At first, anyone might think that such parameters served prevent unwanted connection of other devices on the network that you keep at home or at work. But the truth is that it goes much further.
Types of security
The security settings you establish on your router would not only define how other devices can connect to the network, but also the level of protection that can be established on your own. Internet connection.
Being connected to a network, there is an exchange of information between the device or computer and the server. Security settings will help encrypt this type of information in so that your device (tablet, mobile phone, computer) is safe from any attack. In this sense, there are several types of security available for your wireless or WiFi network: WEP, WPA, WPA2 and WPA3.
Differences between security types
One thing can be for sure: by the end of reading this article, you will have enough knowledge about these types of safety to be clear on which configuration to adopt for your wireless network. Therefore, we encourage you to read on.
What is WEP?
This is one of the first security standards when it comes to network connections. It is also known as privacy equivalent to wiring, so anyone could understand that this type of security was set up primarily for connections via a cable.
The moment the equipment WiFi have starting to play their part in the market, this security and privacy setup has begun to be developed for wireless networks.
You did it? Not at all, wireless connections that adopting this configuration have proved highly vulnerable. So it is not a recommended configuration.
Evolution in WPA
After the unreliability left by the configuration WEP in wireless networks, it was decided to continue developing a system to optimize the security of a connection.
Of all the fixes made to the WEP type of security, WPA emerged. Basically, the operation was the same: authenticated users which required to establish a connection to the network using 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.
Da WPA a WPA2
However, the developers felt there were still areas for improvement, because although WPA maintained higher levels of security than WEP, it was still vulnerable to attack.
For this new protocol, Wifi Alliance has included a encryption algorithm «Advanced Encryption Standard», also known as «AES», which gave networks a much higher security rating than previous ones.
Now… vulnerable? No doubt. Obviously, to attack a network with this type of security configuration, unlike the previous two, a requirement had to be met: to have network access.
WPA3, final?
Given the constant improvement of these security protocols, in 2018 WiFi Alliance announced the launch of this protocol, which, it ensures, will improve password security levels and will provide a simpler interface for configuration.
Which one to choose?
After all of the above, you can be sure that your configuration WPA2 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 risk of attacks.
WPA3 will undoubtedly be one of the best, but it can be said that it is a protocol still under development and routers that have this type of configuration will gradually go on sale.
