GPEN Question #309: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

The correct answer is D. WPA with 802.1X authentication. WPA with 802.1X provides enterprise-grade wireless security by requiring each user to authenticate individually against a RADIUS server, making it the strongest option listed.

Question

Which of the following wireless security features provides the best wireless security mechanism?

Options

AWEP
BWPA
CWPA with Pre Shared Key
DWPA with 802.1X authentication

Explanation

WPA with 802.1X provides enterprise-grade wireless security by requiring each user to authenticate individually against a RADIUS server, making it the strongest option listed.

Common mistakes.

A. WEP uses a weak 40-bit or 104-bit static key with a flawed RC4 implementation and short 24-bit IV, making it trivially crackable with tools like AirSnort.
B. WPA improves on WEP with TKIP and per-packet keys, but without specifying an authentication method it defaults to Pre-Shared Key mode, which is weaker than 802.1X-based authentication.
C. WPA with Pre-Shared Key (WPA-Personal) uses a single passphrase shared across all users, meaning compromise of one device or user exposes the entire network.

Concept tested. Wireless authentication methods and security strength comparison

Reference. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/networking/technologies/nps/nps-top

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