Question

Difficulty: MediumWireless Security Standards and Encryption Protocols

A network administrator is auditing the organization's wireless security baseline. Match each wireless security standard on the left with its corresponding primary encryption protocol or cryptographic suite on the right.

  • WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)RC4 stream cipher with a 24-bit Initialization Vector (IV)
  • WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access)TKIP wrapper around RC4 with Michael integrity algorithm
  • WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2)CCMP encapsulation using AES block cipher in Counter Mode with CBC-MAC
  • WPA3 (Wi-Fi Protected Access 3)GCMP-128 suite using AES block cipher with SAE key exchange

Answer

WEP matches RC4 with a 24-bit IV; WPA matches TKIP with RC4; WPA2 matches CCMP with AES; WPA3 matches GCMP-128 with AES and SAE.
Each wireless security generation relies on a distinct cryptographic suite: legacy WEP uses RC4 with a 24-bit IV, WPA uses TKIP wrapper around RC4, WPA2 standardizes AES-CCMP, and WPA3 mandates AES-GCMP along with SAE authentication.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze WEP requirements
WEP relies on RC4 with a short 24-bit IV.
This is the original 802.11 security mechanism.
2
Analyze WPA requirements
WPA introduces TKIP to encapsulate RC4 and add Michael MIC.
It served as an interim fix for WEP devices.
3
Analyze WPA2 requirements
WPA2 mandates CCMP utilizing AES.
Provides robust confidentiality and integrity under 802.11i.
4
Analyze WPA3 requirements
WPA3 utilizes GCMP-128/256 with SAE.
Represents the modern Wi-Fi security standard replacing PSK and upgrading ciphers.

Key Concept

Wireless Security Standards and Encryption Protocols
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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