An attacker identified that a user and an access point are both compatible with WPA2 and WPA3 encryption. The attacker installed a rogue access point with only WPA2 compatibility in the vicinity and forced the victim to go through the WPA2 four-way handshake to get connected. After the connection was established, the attacker used automated tools to crack WPA2-encrypted messages. What is the attack performed in the above scenario?

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C. Downgrade security attack A downgrade security attack involves an attacker forcing a system or connection to revert to a weaker, older, or less secure protocol or encryption standard, even when a stronger one is available. Here, the attacker exploits the dual compatibility to force WPA2, making it easier to crack.

Answer

A. Timing-based attack A timing-based attack infers information based on the time taken for operations, which is not the primary mechanism of forcing a protocol downgrade.

Answer

B. Side-channel attack A side-channel attack exploits physical implementation characteristics (e.g., power consumption), not by manipulating encryption protocol negotiation.

Answer

D. Cache-based attack A cache-based attack targets processor caches to extract data or exploit vulnerabilities, unrelated to forcing a downgrade in wireless encryption protocols.

An attacker identified that a user and an access point are both compatible with WPA2 and WPA3 encryption. The attacker installed a rogue access point with only WPA2 compatibility in the vicinity and…

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