Exposed Security Flaws of the WPA3 Wi-Fi Protocol

Network security has always been a debate with constant advances in technology. Some security flaws of the new WPA3 have already been exposed. However, many people still do not know much about network security. This does not stop geeky or talented tech-minded individuals or groups of people from hunting for possible vulnerabilities or flaws.
Though Wi-Fi passwords are now tougher to crack, each protocol has had its fair share of flaws. What is surprising is that the reasonably new WPA3 ( Wi-Fi Protected Access protocol version 3) remains vulnerable to attack, thanks to some serious flaws in the design.

Mathy Vanhoef and Eyal Ronentitled recently authored a Dragonblood – A Security Analysis of WPA3’s SAE Handshake. In it, they discuss elements of WPA3 that, in some cases, still leave it vulnerable to attacks like the previous WPA2.

What are the Exposed Security Flaws of the WPA3 Wi-Fi Protocol?

• WPA3-Transition mode is one of the remarkable things of the WPA3 protocol. This brings backward-compatible with older ones that otherwise do not support it. Unfortunately, this backward-compatible process can be exploited. This is because it allows networks to support WPA3 and WPA2 using the same password. This potentially allows an attacker to create a malicious WPA2 system with the same SSID as the original. Client devices in the transition mode will then connect to the malicious network using WPA2, exposing the handshake. Many newer methods were tested and found to have flaws, but it remains a serious concern, especially in low-cost devices.
• WPA2 relied on a four-way handshake as a means of authentication for devices. This handshake contains a hash of the network password, which leaves it open to cracking if intercepted or exposed. This process is still shared by the new protocol. Hence it can easily be compromised.

WPA3 is also vulnerable to side-channel leaks, both cache-based and timing-based. These leaks can potentially reveal information about the network password.

In conclusion, a strong password on your network is strongly recommended, and we hope for resolutions in the future.

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