Wi-Fi Protected Access, abbreviated WPA, replaced the vulnerable original WEP standard.
The Wi-Fi Alliance introduced WPA in 2003 as an interim security improvement while the IEEE 802.11i amendment was being completed. WPA used the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol, or TKIP, to address major weaknesses in WEP’s encryption system.
WEP had been designed for wireless networks but suffered from flawed key management and practical attacks. WPA improved protection without requiring every existing device to be replaced immediately, although many older devices needed a firmware update.
WPA2 followed in 2004 and used the stronger AES-based Counter Mode with CBC-MAC Protocol. WPA3 is newer still. These names describe generations of Wi-Fi security, not wireless connection speeds, so WPA should not be confused with Wi-Fi 4, Wi-Fi 5, or Wi-Fi 6.