Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) is a feature designed to make connecting devices to a wireless network easier, often through a button press or a PIN instead of manually entering the Wi-Fi password. It is separate from Wi-Fi encryption: WPS helps establish a connection, while encryption protects wireless traffic.
Because WPS services handle setup requests, flaws in their implementation can expose routers before normal network authentication takes place. Attackers within radio range may be able to send crafted requests to vulnerable setup software; in severe cases, a bug could enable device compromise. Defenders should install vendor or internet-provider firmware updates, review whether WPS can be disabled, and verify exposure for the exact router model and firmware. Changing the Wi-Fi password alone may not fix a vulnerability in setup code.