WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2)

Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 is the IEEE 802.11i-based Wi-Fi security standard introduced in 2004, using AES-CCMP for confidentiality and integrity. WPA2-Enterprise (with 802.1X/EAP and a RADIUS server) remains widely deployed; WPA2-Personal with weak passphrases is vulnerable to offline dictionary attacks and the KRACK protocol-level flaw, both addressed by WPA3.

Categories: Threats and AttacksProtocols and StandardsEncryption and Cryptography

WPA2 in context

Telecom threats range from opportunistic SMS phishing and SIM swap to nation-state grade location tracking. The common thread is that most attacks exploit the inherited trust model of legacy signaling protocols.

Telecom security is written into standards from 3GPP, GSMA, ETSI, IETF and ITU-T. Understanding which body owns which specification, and how they interlock, is essential for both design and audit work.

To place WPA2 in the wider telecom-security picture, review A5/2, Attack Surface Mapping, BGP, Cipher Downgrade Attack, DDoS and Denial of Service (DoS) — each entry cross-references back to this page so you can walk the topic in either direction.

Related terms

More from the TelcoSec Glossary

Browse the full TelcoSec Glossary, the Ultimate Guide to Mobile Network Security, or the P1 Arsenal of telecom-security tools.