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WPAPSK

WPAPSK, often written WPA-PSK, stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access with Pre-Shared Key. It is a security mode for securing wireless networks that use a pre-shared secret to authenticate clients and access points. WPAPSK was introduced as part of the original WPA standard in 2003 to address vulnerabilities in WEP. The mode can operate with TKIP (legacy) or AES-based CCMP ciphers; in practice, most modern networks use AES-CCMP. In WPAPSK, the network administrator configures a single pre-shared key on the wireless router or access point and distributes it to all clients. The PSK is used to derive a Pairwise Master Key from the PSK and the network's SSID; during the connection, a four-way handshake establishes transient keys for encrypting traffic. This mode is intended for smaller networks or home use and is commonly labeled "Personal" mode, in contrast to WPA-Enterprise's 802.1X authentication.

Security considerations: WPA-PSK improves security over WEP but remains vulnerable to offline dictionary attacks if the

Limitations: The shared PSK must be kept confidential; if the key is compromised, all clients must reconnect

passphrase
is
weak.
A
long,
random
passphrase
(recommended
12
or
more
characters)
mitigates
this
risk.
WPA-PSK
with
AES-CCMP
is
preferred
over
TKIP;
newer
implementations
may
support
WPA3-SAE
for
stronger
protection
against
password
guessing.
with
a
new
PSK.
For
enterprise
environments,
individual
credentials
and
802.1X-based
authentication
are
generally
recommended
over
a
shared
PSK.