312-50V9 · Question #135
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) is a symmetric key - the same key is configured on both the access point and the client to derive encryption keys for protecting wireless traffic.
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
(23 responses)- A96% (22)
- B4% (1)
Why each option
A wireless pre-shared key (PSK) is a symmetric key - the same key is configured on both the access point and the client to derive encryption keys for protecting wireless traffic.
In WPA2/WPA3-Personal, the pre-shared key is a symmetric key - both the client and the access point possess the same secret. It is used as input to the 4-way handshake to derive the Pairwise Transient Key (PTK), which symmetrically encrypts the wireless data. Because both sides use the identical shared secret, this is by definition symmetric key cryptography.
A hash produces a fixed-length digest for integrity verification and is a one-way function, not a key used to encrypt or decrypt wireless traffic.
Diffie-Hellman is a key exchange protocol used to establish a shared secret over an insecure channel without a pre-shared secret - it is not the basis of WPA PSK authentication.
RSA is an asymmetric algorithm using a public/private key pair, which is not how WPA PSK operates; PSK uses the same key on both endpoints.
Concept tested: WPA pre-shared key symmetric encryption
Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/networking/technologies/nps/nps-top
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