You want to enable wireless security on your Android device and your Linux system. Which of the following is a disadvantage of Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)?

The correct answer is B. It is easily compromised by hackers. WEP is correct answer B because it uses a static, shared encryption key with a weak RC4 cipher implementation - security researchers demonstrated in the early 2000s that WEP keys can be cracked in minutes using freely available tools, making it effectively useless as a security…

CIW Network Technology Associate

Question

Options

AIt enables MAC address filtering.
BIt is easily compromised by hackers.
CIt only supports 56-bit symmetric-key encryption.
DIt is based on the outdated 802.lla wireless standard.

How the community answered

(59 responses)

A
2% (1)
B
95% (56)
C
3% (2)

Explanation

WEP is correct answer B because it uses a static, shared encryption key with a weak RC4 cipher implementation - security researchers demonstrated in the early 2000s that WEP keys can be cracked in minutes using freely available tools, making it effectively useless as a security protocol.

Why the distractors are wrong:

A - MAC address filtering is a separate, independent feature of wireless routers, not a feature or flaw of WEP itself.
C - WEP supports 40-bit or 104-bit keys (sometimes marketed as 64-bit or 128-bit with the IV included), not 56-bit; 56-bit is associated with DES encryption.
D - WEP is defined in the 802.11b standard (and later applied to others), not 802.11a; it's outdated, but the reason to avoid it is its cryptographic weakness, not the wireless standard it's tied to.

Memory tip: Think "WEP = Weak Encryption Protocol" - the acronym swap reminds you that its core flaw is being easily broken, which is exactly why WPA2/WPA3 replaced it.

Topics

#wireless security#WEP vulnerabilities#encryption protocols#network security

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