Wi‑Fi Protected Setup

E484056

Wi‑Fi Protected Setup is a network security standard designed to simplify the process of connecting devices to a wireless network, but it is widely known for serious vulnerabilities that can expose Wi‑Fi passwords to attackers.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Wi‑Fi Protected Setup canonical 7

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Wi‑Fi configuration protocol
network security standard
abbreviation WPS
affectedDevice wireless access points
wireless routers
appliesTo IEEE 802.11 wireless networks
linked to: IEEE 802.11
attackType offline PIN cracking not required for main design flaw
canBeExploitedRemotely yes
configurationMethod PIN entry
USB flash drive configuration
near‑field communication
push‑button configuration
configurationScope Wi‑Fi encryption settings
Wi‑Fi network SSID
Wi‑Fi network security key
consequence exposes Wi‑Fi passwords to attackers
criticizedFor lack of effective lockout mechanisms against brute‑force attempts
weak default security design
designCharacteristic intended to be user‑friendly
trades security for ease of use
developedBy Wi‑Fi Alliance
impact possibility of further attacks on devices in the network
potential interception of network traffic
unauthorized access to wireless network
introducedIn 2006
purpose simplify the process of connecting devices to a Wi‑Fi network
simplify wireless security configuration for home users
recommendation disable WPS on wireless routers and access points
relatedStandard WPA2
Wi‑Fi Protected Access
requiresPhysicalProximity attacker must be within Wi‑Fi range
securityAdvice use manual WPA2 or WPA3 configuration instead of WPS
securityClassification broken security mechanism
securityStatus considered insecure
standardizedBy Wi‑Fi Alliance specification
status still present on many consumer routers
supports WPA
WPA2
Wi‑Fi Protected Access
targetUserGroup home users
non‑technical users
uses 8‑digit PIN code
vulnerability PIN design flaw that reveals validity of first half of PIN
allows recovery of WPA or WPA2 pre‑shared key
online brute‑force attack against PIN

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (7)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Reaver (WPS attack tool) usesProtocol Wi‑Fi Protected Setup
DPP replaces Wi‑Fi Protected Setup
Wi‑Fi Direct uses Wi‑Fi Protected Setup
WPS abbreviationFor Wi‑Fi Protected Setup
Device Provisioning Protocol replaces Wi‑Fi Protected Setup
Device Provisioning Protocol successorTo Wi‑Fi Protected Setup
Device Provisioning Protocol relatedTo Wi‑Fi Protected Setup