WPA3

WPA3 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 3) is a security protocol developed by the Wi‑Fi Alliance to replace WPA2, providing stronger data protection and improved authentication for Wi‑Fi networks. It introduces two main modes: WPA3-Personal for home networks and WPA3-Enterprise for corporate networks.

WPA3-Personal uses the Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE) handshake, also known as the Dragonfly handshake, which makes password guessing offline difficult and provides forward secrecy. This replaces the pre‑shared key method used by WPA2‑Personal and helps mitigate common risks from weak passwords. WPA3 also includes Opportunistic Wireless Encryption (OWE), which enables encrypted communication on open networks without a password.

WPA3-Enterprise uses 802.1X-based authentication and offers a higher security baseline for enterprise deployments. The standard supports stronger cryptographic options, often described as a higher security profile for WPA3‑Enterprise, and in practice emphasizes robust protection for management frames and enterprise-grade authentication configurations.

Transition and interoperability: The WPA3 specification includes a transitional mode to ease migration, allowing devices that only support WPA2 or WPA3 to operate together. In transitional mode, networks may negotiate WPA2 or WPA3 based on client capabilities, which can reduce the level of protection for some devices.

Security considerations: In 2020, researchers disclosed vulnerabilities known as Dragonblood affecting certain WPA3 implementations and SAE components, potentially enabling offline password guessing or downgrade attacks. Vendors released patches, and updating firmware and drivers is advised to maintain protection.

Adoption and limits: Since its introduction, WPA3 has seen gradual adoption in consumer routers and devices. Realizing full benefits requires both access points and clients to support WPA3; many environments still rely on WPA2 for legacy compatibility.