TKIP stands for “Temporal Key Integrity Protocol.” It’s another way to keep wireless networks safe, but it’s a bit older than CCMP, which we discussed earlier. Let’s break it down in simple terms:
Imagine you have a diary where you write your secrets, and you use a special invisible ink pen to write so that no one else can read them. But after some time, you hear that some people have found a way to see the invisible ink. You still want to use your diary, so you find another way to make it harder for them. Instead of just using the invisible ink, you start changing the ink color every few pages. This way, even if someone figures out one color, by the time they get to the next pages, it won’t work anymore.
TKIP is like that changing ink method for Wi-Fi. It was introduced as an improvement over an older security method called WEP. WEP had some big security problems, so TKIP was introduced to make it harder for bad guys to break in. It did this by regularly changing the encryption keys.
However, over time, TKIP itself showed some weaknesses. That’s why, nowadays, for the best security, people prefer using CCMP with WPA2 or WPA3 Wi-Fi security instead of TKIP. If you have a router at home, it’s a good idea to ensure you’re using WPA2 or WPA3 with CCMP and not TKIP.