What terms accurately complete the following sentence? The IEEE 802.11-2016 standard specifies mandatory support of the _______________ cipher suite for Robust Security Network Associations, and…

Question

Options

• A802.1X/EAP, WEP
• BCCMP, TKIP
• CTLS, SSL
• DRC5, RC4

• A
  5% (2)
• B
  93% (38)
• C
  2% (1)

Explanation

CCMP (Counter Mode with CBC-MAC Protocol) is the mandatory cipher suite for RSNAs under IEEE 802.11-2016 because it uses AES encryption, providing strong confidentiality and integrity - it is the security backbone of modern Wi-Fi (WPA2/WPA3). TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) fills the second blank: it was designed as a stopgap to retrofit older WEP-based hardware with better key management, but it is now deprecated due to known weaknesses.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• A (802.1X/EAP, WEP): 802.1X/EAP is an authentication framework, not a cipher suite; WEP is a legacy protocol that predates RSNAs entirely.
• C (TLS, SSL): These are transport-layer security protocols unrelated to the 802.11 cipher suite specification.
• D (RC5, RC4): These are raw encryption algorithms - RC4 underpins WEP/TKIP internally - but they are not cipher suite names in the 802.11 standard.

Memory tip: Think "C before T" - CCMP is Current and mandatory; TKIP is Tired and deprecated. Or remember the acronym order: CCMP = Clean modern security, TKIP = Temporary legacy kludge.

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