312-50V10 · Question #360
When setting up a wireless network, an administrator enters a pre-shared key for security. Which of the following is true?
The correct answer is A. The key entered is a symmetric key used to encrypt the wireless data.. A wireless pre-shared key (PSK) in WPA2-Personal is a symmetric secret shared between the client and access point, used to derive session encryption keys during the 4-way handshake.
Question
When setting up a wireless network, an administrator enters a pre-shared key for security. Which of the following is true?
Options
- AThe key entered is a symmetric key used to encrypt the wireless data.
- BThe key entered is a hash that is used to prove the integrity of the wireless data.
- CThe key entered is based on the Diffie-Hellman method.
- DThe key is an RSA key used to encrypt the wireless data.
How the community answered
(49 responses)- A94% (46)
- C2% (1)
- D4% (2)
Why each option
A wireless pre-shared key (PSK) in WPA2-Personal is a symmetric secret shared between the client and access point, used to derive session encryption keys during the 4-way handshake.
The PSK is a symmetric key because both the client and the access point possess the same shared secret. In WPA2-Personal, the PSK feeds into the 4-way handshake to derive the Pairwise Transient Key (PTK), which symmetrically encrypts all wireless data between the two endpoints. Both parties use the same key material, which is the defining characteristic of symmetric encryption.
The PSK is not a hash - it is a passphrase used to derive encryption keys, not a one-way digest used solely for integrity verification.
Diffie-Hellman is a key exchange protocol used in WPA3-SAE (Simultaneous Authentication of Equals) and TLS, not the mechanism behind traditional WPA2-Personal PSK authentication.
RSA is an asymmetric algorithm used for key exchange and digital signatures, not for bulk wireless data encryption in PSK-based wireless networks.
Concept tested: WPA2-Personal pre-shared key symmetric encryption
Source: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wireless-mobility/wireless-lan-wlan/67956-wpa-aironet.html
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