Security improvements coming to Wi-Fi connectivity

Monday, January 22, 2018 - 09:27 by Graham Miller

Plenty of people make use of Wi-Fi to carry out safe shopping online, whether they are at home or on the move. This can pose a problem when it comes to security, especially when public networks are harnessed to carry out sensitive transactions.

The good news is that the latest WPA3 regulations will make wireless connectivity both more secure and generally more consistent for all users, according to IT Pro Portal.

The current standards have been in place since the late 1990s and so the move to a new, tougher security setup will be welcomed by billions of businesses and consumers worldwide.

When connecting to a public Wi-Fi network, WPA3 will be able to provide encrypted connectivity, not only between a device and the hotspot itself, but also between other devices that are linked to the same router. This stringent, secure approach is not available with older WPA2 standards and so, even without a technical understanding, the benefits should be obvious.

Many experts argue that it is not sensible to use public Wi-Fi for any actions which require a secure connection, such as carrying out safe shopping online, accessing online banking and even social media. The arrival of this new standard might change opinions on this topic, or at least create a new debate about how consumers should protect themselves.

Another advantage of WPA3 is that it will make it harder for hackers to compromise Wi-Fi networks through the use of brute force attacks. Rather than being able to take endless guesses at the password which protects the network, there will be a limit which, if exceeded, will block access altogether from the device in question.

No security solution is entirely infallible, so it will be interesting to see how long this new standard remains unblemished after its impending rollout.