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WPA and WPA2 use pre-shared keys for strong encryption security in wireless data transmission. A WPA key is a 256-bit string of data shared with all devices needing access to the network. Passphrases and key derivation functions can also be used to generate WPA keys, but common combinations are vulnerable to brute-force attacks.
A WPA key is part of the wireless Internet security Wi-Fi Protected Access scheme. WPA and its successor, WPA2, use pre-shared keys to facilitate very strong encryption security for wireless data transmission. These keys are used to mutually authenticate communications between wireless devices, typically using a hub-and-spoke model that sends communications from many devices through a wireless network router, which then communicates with the Internet over a wired connection. A modified version of these security protocols uses a centralized server to handle user authentication, instead of relying on a WPA key that has been shared with all authorized users.
Wireless networks are ubiquitous in the modern world. Many function as unsecured networks and are very vulnerable to hacker attacks. They offer almost no protection for data being transmitted to and from computers. Some security can be provided through the dynamic exchange of security keys between a computer or other mobile device and a server, but this still leaves the underlying data connection vulnerable to interception.
WPA and WPA2 wireless security systems fix this security vulnerability. In most small networks, a WPA key is at the heart of this protection. This key is shared with all devices that need to have access to the network. Ideally, this sharing takes place offline, so that the key transmission itself is not vulnerable to interception.
The WPA key consists of a 256-bit string of data. This can be generated directly by a user and shared in the form of a 64-digit long hexadecimal key. However, this is a rather complicated method of sharing an encryption key and does not lend itself to being easily memorized by users. A second option for sharing WPA keys is to use a passphrase and key derivation function.
Passphrases consist of strings of up to 63 ASCII characters. The numeric values associated with these characters are then combined with the network name, known as the service set identifier (SSID), and run through many iterations of a derivation function. The resulting 64 hexadecimal digits are then used as the WPA key.
A key generated from a passphrase plus SSID is potentially more vulnerable than a truly random 64-digit key. A long passphrase paired with an unusual SSID will produce a brute-force hack-proof key. A short or common passphrase, such as “password,” combined with a common SSID, such as “network,” or the name of a particular brand of router, will produce a key with no value. Hackers have already calculated the keys generated from the most common combinations and will attempt them at the outset of any brute force attack.
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