Computer scientists in Japan have found a way to break into a WPA/TKIP wireless system in less than 1 minute. The group has published a paper on the subject so it is just a matter of time before the bad guys get a hold of the technology. Fortunately, WPA/AES, a stronger encryption, and WPA2 have not been compromised so consider switching to one of those.
A brief history on Wi-Fi encryption
At first, 1997, there was Wired Equivalent Privacy or WEP for short. This was cracked in a few years after it came out and is now regarded as useless.
WPA with TKIP “was developed as kind of an interim encryption method as Wi-Fi security was evolving several years ago,” said Kelly Davis-Felner, marketing director with the Wi-Fi Alliance, the industry group that certifies Wi-Fi devices. People should now use WPA 2.
Wi-Fi-certified products have had to support WPA 2 since March 2006. “There’s certainly a decent amount of WPA with TKIP out in the installed base today, but a better alternative has been out for a long time,” Davis-Felner said.
Most routers with TKIP also have AES so the switch should be easy.