When iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 finds their way to the masses in the fall, one upgrade may be easy to miss. Hotspot connections made from iPhones and iPads will feature the stronger WPA3 security protocol, making those mini networks more secure and harder to hack.
For quite a while, Apple products have been able to connect to WPA3-enabled networks. But until now, personal hotspot networks running on those devices only supported the weaker WPA2 protocol. On iOS 14, for example, only the WPA2 protocol secures iPhone or iPad hotspot connections.
WPA3 security: A long time coming
The Wi-Fi Alliance originally announced WPA3 back in June of 2018. As Cult of Mac‘s Ed Hardy noted then, the standard hadn’t seen a major upgrade since 2004. So WPA3 constitutes a major improvement over WPA2, though the latter remains in widespread use.
WPA3 adds new features to simplify Wi-Fi security and enable more robust authentication. An enterprise version boosts cryptographic strength.
An average iPhone or iPad user may notice little or no difference in how a hotspot connection in iOS 15 works compared to older versions. But the added security will be there.
Stronger passwords
WPA3 reportedly specifically targets the use of weak passwords. It will make it easier for users to establish “more resilient, password-based authentication” that offers “stronger protections for users against password guessing attempts by third parties,” according to the Wi-Fi Alliance.
Specifically, WPA3 adds Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE) to provide stronger protections for users against attempts at password guessing.
Developers are currently beta testing iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. A public beta is expected later this summer, followed by public release in the fall.
